Separation
by Marie Allen
Summary: After being blown off by one of Ash's pokemon, Team Rocket gets separated! *Finally* finished part 11...and it's short. -_-;; Not to mention it's been a while... ^_^;; Please R&R!
1. Part One

  
Separation - Part One  
  
Author's Notes: This is my second ficcy, so R&R! ^_^ Thanks!   
DISCLAIMER: Kids WB, CREATURES, GAME FREAK, Nintendo, and so on...  
****************************************************************  
The trio chuckled cunningly as they floated over the forest. It was midday, and it was certainly looking good! They not only had captured their long awaited Pikachu, but also one of the twerp's friend's Arcanine! The boss was surely going to give them a huge raise, and maybe even a vacation. Yep, fortune was definitely looking their way.  
  
That was, until something popped into their balloon. Naturally, the two pokemon flew out of their basket while they were tossed to and frau in the air. However, to add to their dilemma, a large tornado of wind and dust exploded their balloon and the three went flying into the unknown. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"  
  
Two thuds landed in a thorny bush, causing them to jump up in agony. Thorns poked out of their clothes as they crawled out slowly.   
  
Pouting, James began to pull out his thorns. "It's not fair! We were so close that time!"  
  
"It wasn't the only time we were close," his partner mumbled back as she herself pulled out her own thorns, "and lost because of those stupid kids!"  
  
It took a few seconds before they realized that there was no sly comment. They looked around, only to discover that Meowth was missing. "Meowth's missing!" they exclaimed in surprise. Frantically, they searched for their missing friend, but it was for naught; no footprint laid in the ground or did complaints fill the air.  
  
Exhausted after the search, the once trio, now duo, sat in defeat. After a while, Jessie's eyes widened and exclaimed, "I bet that fur ball went on without us!"  
  
James snorted. "Yeah. He's probably eating his life out right now!"  
  
Jessie jumped to her feet. "That dimwit! How dare he! Come on, let's go. When I get my hands on him I'll..." her voice dragged off as she stomped off in the distance, most likely to get herself lost once again. James was at her side immediately, not daring to drag behind her, only to find himself lost.  
  
It was dark by the time they reached, once again, Violet City. However, they were not as clean as they were the first time they had stumbled upon this city, and not as hungry either. Therefore, the first thing they did was search for food.  
  
Having no money and knowing that they would be here for some time, the two decided to pick pocket for their money. These people were rich, by the looks of them, so they would have no problem.  
  
Jessie sighed with pleasure as they entered the bakery. James rubbed his hands together and licked his lips when his eyes caught sight of the wonderful looking donuts. Once bought, the two ran outside and sat at one of the table set.  
  
"Yum! Ips bearby bood!" James stuffed another into his mouth, despite the other two he had yet to finish.  
  
"James! Bon't beat wif your mouf fool!" Jessie swallowed her own pastry, with a gulp and laughed at James' comment about what she had just done. "Well," she continued, "can't win 'em all, can ya?"  
  
James grinned. "I guess that we..." He was cut off as a large gust of wind blew over them. "Ugh!" They covered their faces with their arms, but that didn't help them fight against the wind. They quickly found themselves on the ground, underneath the table.   
  
"Naturally," started Jessie, "when we're finally staying in one place, a storm starts!"   
  
"Yeah. It's not fair!" James agreed.  
  
"Stop whining and get up. We've got to find somewhere to stay for the night." She stood shakily and walked against the wind, towards a hotel she had seen when they had first entered the city. After a great effort, they arrived. "Hmm. It's not a five star." She said as they approached the desk. There were a lot of people rushing around the lobby for reasons unknown to them. Not to mention that many of them had the misfortune of bumping into Team Rocket. They would soon find that the thirties, fifties, or perhaps even hundreds that they had in their pocket would soon be missing. Tough luck for them.  
  
James slowly opened the door to their room, unsure of what to expect. Jessie pouted. "It's so small!" She exclaimed, horrified. "How am I suppose to move in this cell?"  
  
"What were you expecting for eighty dollars?" he mumbled. He brushed one of his gloved fingers over the surface of the counter and smiled. "At least it's clean!" Jessie, however, had made her way into the bathroom. After all, wasn't it the bathroom that seemed to be the dirtiest?   
  
"Hmm. I suppose it will do. We're only staying for one night anyway..." She sat on the bed and pulled off her boots and sighed at the room her feet now had. She laid back and put her hands behind her head. James, remote in hand, jumped on the bed next to her.  
  
"Alright! Cable!" James grinned as he began to surf. Jessie sighed and sat up against the flimsy pillows and watched the channels go by. He stopped at one channel, which featured an old black-and-white silent movie. A strange man wearing a weird mask that looked like a person's face covered his identity. A screen fell over his mouth and nose, so that he might breath. A woman slipped up behind him as he played a massive organ and ripped off his mask. Apparently, the man was supposed to be ugly, but, she snickered, Jessie had seen uglier! The man with no hair slowly stalked the woman who had pulled off his mask and loomed over her. He...James turned the channel. Jessie scowled at him from the corner of her eye and saw a bored look on his face. Nevertheless, the amusement was re-lit as he saw something that caught his interest.  
  
She turned back to the television set, and saw that it was on of those "Beauty and the Beast" shows. The man who was supposed to be the beast, but looked much like a lion, was sitting on the floor in what looked like an apartment. He held a book and was crying. Memories flashed through his mind of a young happy woman. They were dancing and...once again, James changed the channel.  
  
Fed up, Jessie snatched the remote from him. "Hey!" he said in surprise.  
  
"Would you stop flipping? Once I start to get into something, you change it!" Jessie glared at him and then at the television as she began her own flipping.  
  
"Well," he said, folding his arms, "it's my hobby to annoy you."  
  
"Obviously." She turned to him and stuck her tongue out at him before turning back her flipping.  
  
It wasn't everyday that Jessie was in this good of a mood. 'Hmm...maybe she should be fed more often. With an occasional inn now and then.' He chuckled at his own thoughts, wondering if that was really the reason why she seemed happier.   
  
Annoyed with the television, she turned it off and threw the remote in one of the many dark corners that seemed to pop up everywhere. "Humph! Nothing's on!" She turned towards James, "How much money do we have left?"  
  
He reached into his pocket and took out a wad of money. Jessie's eyes widened in shock, not realizing how much they seemed to have. He quickly counted and came to a total.  
  
"Two hundred and sixty-four dollars?" She had expected about only fifty left, maybe eighty at the most. Certainly not two hundred!  
  
"And twenty-two cents." James said proudly. He had found the twenty-two cents on the floor when he had tripped over that blasted rock.  
  
Her eyes lighted up with excitement and she reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a binder-book and flipped through the pages. "Let's get room service! I'm starving!"  
  
"Yeah!" He peaked over her shoulder to get a better look at the menu. They had lost most of their hard-earned pastries in that sudden wind-blast, and therefore had yet to eat at their fullest.   
  
A table full of empty plates later, Jessie and James sighed as they did just that. With full stomachs, a wonderful rare blessing for them, they reclined on the bed, with their backs once again against the backboard. James had mysteriously held the remote to his hands and was once again flipping the channel every two minutes. Jessie ignored him this time, however, to exhausted to argue. Instead, she scooted down and laid her head on her pillow, watching what she could before it disappeared. She didn't remember when she had nodded off to sleep, but she did remember that she was enveloped in warmth.   
  
  
  
Okay, that's it for part one! ^_^ What did you guys think of it? I know it was sort of short, but...oh well! ^_^ Thanks and please, please, PLEASE! Review!! ^_^   



	2. Part Two

Separation - Part Two  
  
Author's Notes: Here's the second part of Separation! Sorry, but I don't know the relationship between a yen and a dollar, so I just used dollars...just use your imagination ^_~ Please R&R!!!!!! ^_^  
Disclaimers: Standard disclaimers apply   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jessie woke with a start. Sweat covered her brow and her breathing was labored, and coming out in short gasps. She sat up and placed a hand over her heart, as if to will it from it's race to pop out of her skin. She looked around her, expecting to see...something...attack her. She didn't quite remember who or what she had been expecting, but somehow, she knew it was good.  
  
For the first time, she looked around at her dark surroundings. She was warm, which meant that she was not in some deep forest, but by way of the moonlight, this room was much larger than the rooms at the Head Quarters. Confused, she carefully slipped from the bed, and stood up. Yesterday's events flashed back to her, and remembered that she was in a hotel. She smiled triumphantly as she looked for a clock. The small red digital numbers read that it was eight twenty-nine. She sighed and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Might as well take a shower, now that she was up. Besides, it was eight thirty, way passed the time that they should be up. They still had to look for their missing partner.  
  
She sighed as the warm water washed away the dirt and mud of the past few weeks. She couldn't even remember when the last time she had taken such luxury as taking a shower. Thus, she took her time, and rubbed the dirt off of her until her skin shown once again.  
  
A long time later, she emerged from her now cold water and dried off. She toweled dried her wet locks and brushed them out. Hesitantly, she put her Team Rocket outfit on, despite how dirty it was. A sudden rash idea came to her. James had some extra money left! She could just...borrow some for a new outfit for her! It would be clean, and then she could clean this one! She smiled at her plan and hurriedly dried her hair.   
  
Once she stepped out of the bathroom, she was pushed aside by a blur of blue. "Ugh! Watch it!" The door was immediately slammed behind him.   
  
"You've been in here for over two hours!" He complained. A rush of water echoed throughout the large bathroom as he turned on the shower.  
  
"There's a good reason for that! I girl has to have her privacy some times!" She called back.  
  
It was silent in the bathroom for a few seconds, save for the running of water. Soon, however, that silence was broken by a howl of terror. Concerned, Jessie knocked on the door, "James, are..."   
  
"Jessie! You used up all of the warm water!" he complained, trying desperately to find some warmness.  
  
She giggled. Nevertheless, she caught what she just did automatically, and turned it into a snicker as if to erase the slipped giggle. Why, this was her that she was thinking about...she didn't giggle! It wasn't...dominating. "Well, that's what you get for sleeping in!"  
  
"No," he mumbled under his breath, "that's what I get for being courteous." Jessie, of course, could not hear this, and continued to laugh at him lightly. She found the money that they had stolen on the counter, next to a pile of change that itself must have added to ten dollars.   
  
"I'm going to go out for a little while," she hollered to him. A muffled reply answered back to her, and she took the money, but left the change. She didn't bother to count the bills before stuffing them into her inside pocket, and left the room.  
  
She didn't know exactly what she was looking for, or where to even find it, but continued to walk the streets. Despite its size, this city didn't have the best choices in clothing. She sighed as she left yet another store, empty-handed. It figured that the one time she had money in her pocket, there was nothing to spend it on. Yet again, she was on the street, but this time even more annoyed then before. True, choosing clothes took time and it was done very delicately, but there was a point where she could only take so much! Besides, if she didn't find anything soon, she would...  
  
And then she saw it. It certainly wasn't the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, but it was very nice. It was a two piece outfit, with black silk pants and a matching black silk vest. Diamond-like buttons adorned the seams at the top of the pants and along the seams on the sides of the legs. The vest also held the same buttons, but zigged and zagged in an interesting pattern. The blouse that came with it was red with black pearl buttons that began about five inches from the top of the breastbone. To top it all, an also black jacket accompanied it all that reached to the knees. She was inside instantaneously and at the side of the stack on which held the outfit. Four stores back, she had taken up the nerve and counted the money in her pocket. She had two hundred and forty dollars to spend, and the clothes were only $115. The clerk said that everything in the store was up to sixty-five percent off, due to the holidays. Apparently, this certain set of clothes was one of those few fifty- percent items. What luck! If they had come a week earlier, she would have had to pay over $300, which she couldn't have afforded in the first place.   
  
As the clerk began to ring up her total, Jessie looked around. She grinned as she spotted yet another outfit. That ensemble was only sixty-five dollars, but it didn't look like it was cheap. When she walked out of the store that day, she had spent one hundred and eighty-five dollars, which left sixty-five dollars left. She just shrugged it off, 'Oh well,' she thought, 'There's always more pockets with money...'  
  
When she returned back to the room, it was half past twelve. James was once again watching television, and barely looked up at Jessie when she entered the room. She threw him a bag, and he looked at her in confusion. "Change," she said, bluntly, "These clothes are disgusting. They need to be washed." She pulled at her jacket to as if to show how dirty they were. Jessie locked herself in the bathroom and quickly changed out of her Team Rocket clothes, as if they were cursed. However, she took her time into changing into her new clothes. Of course, because they were new, she had to be careful not to make any jerky move moments, unless she wanted to rip them. When she finished, she scanned herself on the wall-length mirror. The mirror in the changing room wasn't nearly as big, but it had shown her that she liked it. The pants were loose, but tighter at the end so it wouldn't become caught on anything. Thus, she would be able to run, if the case should arise. The blouse was also loose, and there fore comfortable. She was able to move her arms freely, and thus able to reach above her head. The vest, even though tight, did not prevent her from keeping that movement free. She did not bother putting on the jacket, for it was too warm to put it on at the moment; the heater was on.  
  
Satisfied at what she saw, she went back into the bedroom. She glared at James, who was, yet again, flipping through the channels. Was he glued to that damn remote? Sighing, she put the remaining money on the dresser, and threw James yet another bag. However, this bag held her dirty clothes. He stopped his irritating flipping and looked at the bag blankly. She rolled her eyes and pointed at the door. "There's a washing machine under the lobby and when I passed by it, it was crowded, so I suggest that you had better hurry."  
  
James pouted as he caught on to what she was saying, "But why do I have to do the laundry? It's half yours too."  
  
"Because I said so! Besides...the soap might ruin my clothes."  
  
James snorted softly as he stood up. He bent over and picked up his own clothes and stuffed them in the bag as well. Grumbling, we walked past Jessie and opened the door. However, before he closed the door behind him, he turned and said, "Hey, Jess." She turned around from what she was doing and stared at him. Had his face not been in the shadows, she would have seen a light blush over has face, "Thanks. For the clothes, I mean."   
  
She stared at him momentarily, but a smile answered him. "No problem, James." He nodded slightly, and then closed the door behind him.  
  
She stared at the door for a few seconds after he had left, wondering why he was thanking her for such a small thing. 'Really,' she thought, 'they're only clothes.' She shrugged it off, and jumped on the bed and snatched up the remote. "Ahhhh...yes! Flipper-free TV!" She settled with an old black and white romance movie that had just started.  
  
An hour and a half later, James stumbled back inside the room. Jeez, had he had a great time! Not only had he had two sets of clean clothes, he had found an abundance of money! From coins to bills, he had found them all! He didn't dare count it out in public, for there had been too many people. And, oh, the people! If he didn't know better, he would have said that all of the guests of the hotel were there! Grinning, he opened the door. "Hey, Jess, guess what! I..." He stopped in his tracks as he saw Jessie, handkerchief in hand, sobbing. Blinking, he asked, "Jess...what's wrong?"  
  
She looked up at him sorrowfully, "Oh, James! It's so...happy! Franc went out to war, and Angela received this letter that he had been killed. Depressed she couldn't bear the thought of leaving her house. After so many trials of depression and heartache, who should appear three years later than Franc! Oh...isn't it so romantic?"   
  
James blinked at her. Since when had Jess been into romantic movies, and cried at them in the least? Not to mention that he had actually bought something for him, and without him asking! Something was defiantly wrong with her...maybe she was sick? Yeah...that had to be it.  
  
He put down the clothes and answered her, "Yeah...of course it is, Jessie. But um..." he took the remote from her and turned off the television that now showed the two lovers kissing and continued, "Don't you think that we...uh..." he thought for a minute as she looked at him curiously before a sudden remembrance came to mind. "That we should start looking for Meowth? I mean...the day's almost gone, and we haven't even started..."  
  
Her eyes widened in shock at the realization of what he was saying. "Meowth!" She jumped off of the bed, tears completely gone, "I can't believe we forgot about him!" She went to the window and opened it as far as it would go, which was only about an inch or so. An immediate chill flooded through the crack. She snapped it closed. "It's cold," she announced, shivering. She recalled that she had also bought a jacket to go with her ensemble, and went back into the bathroom and put it on, buttoning it tight around her and as high as the buttons went. She was out the door before James even got up off the bed. "Coming?" she called back into the room.  
  
James sighed and followed her. Something was definitely wrong with her. Since when was she so...excited? He closed the door behind him and chased after her, not wanting to pull a Meowth and become lost.  
  
They searched throughout the town until dark descended. Jessie pulled her jacket tighter against her, even though it was hopeless. It was as tight as she could get it, and she was still cold. James, on the other hand, seemed perfectly warm. She looked over him, as if just now realizing that he was wearing the clothes she had picked for him. He was wearing black pants that seemed to envelop his legs. The sweater that he wore seemed to be like a second for him. It was a dark black that matched his pants with dark navy blue and dark green stripes that criss-crossed in different places. On just about any other person, it would have looked horrible, but James made it look really good, as if it was natural. She stopped walking with a start. Wide eyes watched his back as he continued to walk ahead, oblivious to her astonishment. What had she been thinking? Enveloping his legs, a second skin... A slight blush rose over her cheeks, her mouth opened slightly as if to say something to the air, but closed it again. She shook her head, but the blush stayed. She held her jacket even tighter, as if that would take it away, and she continued her way behind him. Her thoughts began to wander, of what she had thought. It was ridiculous! She had just made a point, and now she was getting thoughts about him. She laughed hesitantly. Just ridiculous. A yawn cleared her thoughts for a moment and a notion popped into her head. Of course! She laughed again. She was tired, and was...hallucinating. She smiled triumphantly. She had positively not thought that she was in love with James. She choked and her eyes bulged out. Where had that come from? Where had she gotten the idea that she loved him? Once again she blamed it on her tiredness, but she suddenly didn't feel tired. She felt...something. She didn't know what, for she had never felt it before, but it was there. She tried to push the feeling down, but as try as she might, it only seemed to grow stronger. Suddenly, she felt like crying and shouting. Tears filled her eyes, and she desperately pushed them down. What was wrong with her? She had been fine yesterday, but now she seemed different.   
  
She blinked away the tears as she once again to slowly walk. She sighed as she ignored her pondering. Nevertheless, that annoying voice kept popping up. Was she in love with him? Did she really think of him more than a friend?   
  
James stopped and waited for her to catch up. Concern covered his face, for he was terribly worried about her. Not only was she not stalking or raving about something, she was walking slow and a quick change in attitude. One minute she was happy and joking, the next laughing as if she had the evilest plot in mind to capture Pikachu, and yet the next minute she had whimpered as if she were some lost child in desperate need of protection. He watched the play of emotions play upon her face as she walked in the dimly lighted walkway. She walked right past him, as if she didn't even see him standing there. He frowned in concentration. He didn't know what to do. Maybe she really was sick? What if it was some serious unknown disease that didn't have a cure? Worry lines formed over his face. He shook his head. That was stupid. Like Jessie could catch some virus? He laughed reassuringly at the thought. She was tired of looking for the lost Meowth, and she was in need of sleep. She would be better in the morning. If that was supposed to comfort him, then how come he doubted himself?  
  
  
Please review and tell me what you think!!! ^_^ Thank you!!  



	3. Part Three

Separation - Part Three  
  
Author's Notes: Well...here's part three. But when I was looking over Part Two, I noticed that the italics weren't showing up. Grr! So, I had to be creative ( :: ... :: o.O!?) and make up a legend! How much fun we shall have! -_- Anywho:  
'...' is when someone is talking to themselves mentally  
*...* is when that little voice is talking   
and, of course, "..." is when someone is talking! ::Gasp!:: I never knew...well, like they always say, "You learn something new ever day!" (And it's SO true! O.O!)  
  
I hope you enjoy, and please, please, please, review! ^_^ Thanks!  
  
Disclaimer: You know the rights...yadda yadda yadda... ::sigh::  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
She casually opened her eyes and immediately looked at the clock. At looking at the time, she was up at once. She put her Team Rocket jacket, for she had slept in her black shirt and skirt the night before. She silently left the room, closing the door behind her softly after she made sure James was still sleeping. No one paid heed to her as she walked calmly out of the hotel, as if it was always normal for her to walk around in the dead of night. When she opened the door to the outside, however, she began to run.  
  
Cold air bit at her exposing skin as she raced out of the city and into the dark forest. No sound came from the usual full-of-life trees, as if they had a sense of what was to come. No stars illuminated the sky, and only the rare blue moon shinned above. She tripped over a stick and cut her ankle, but continued running through the dark, as if she hadn't felt it at all. She didn't know where she was going, but knew she had to get there, or else it would be too late.   
  
Her pace quickened at that thought. Almost there, almost there, almost there, she chanted in her head over and over again. Her heart accelerated and her feet raced. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it. A large, looming animal leaped out at her, and before she could dodge it, it leaped at her and...  
  
She sat straight up in the bed, with sweat on her brow. Her heart raced as it had in the dream she had just had for the third time in so many days. She rubbed her eyes as if to erase the picture from her mind, and it slowly began to disappear. Over time, her breathing gradually ceased and she put her hand down. Not bothering by looking at the clock, she got up slowly, so as not to disrupt the still sleeping James, and went into the bathroom. Thanking James that he could sleep through anything, she turned on the shower. 'This seems familiar,' she thought sarcastically as she stepped inside the shower.   
  
She leaned against the cold wall. She didn't understand what these stupid dreams were supposed to mean, or even why she was having them. 'Oh, well,' she thought, 'no use being bothered by them. After all, they're just stupid dreams. Dreams don't come true.' She ignored the fact that this time her dream was more real than it had been than last night's, or even the night before that.  
  
She turned off the water and dressed in the three-day old clothes. When she stepped back into the room, James was just opening the tops to the breakfast dishes. He smiled at her when opened the door. "Hi. I already ordered breakfast, if you don't mind."  
  
She smiled back, "Thanks." She sat down and started eating silently. James sat across from her, also silent. Whereas Jessie had nothing on her mind, now that she had decided that the meaningless dreams she had been having were of no worries for her, James kept looking up at her, ready for her to say something, or anything for that matter. He had hoped that she would have been 'back to normal' two days ago, but she still seemed withdrawn. He sighed. She had to be sick, even if he didn't know what kind of sickness it was. She hadn't yelled at him, or hardly even spoken. She had been nicer too. When she did speak, she spoke quietly, and it had always been a comment, or something of the like. Not to add that she would wake up as if she had just woken from the dead, and her breath suffocating her. He also noted that she would wake up earlier and earlier each day. Yesterday, it was at seven. Today, it was six twenty. His brows frowned in confusion. Either something was wrong with her, or his name was George Brooks, which it wasn't.  
  
By the time they left the hotel building in search for once again for their lost friend, it was eleven. They had searched the town for over a hundred times, or so it seemed to James. Obviously, he wasn't here. Numerously, he had suggested to Jessie that they look in the forest, since that was where they had found themselves when they first landed. Every time he did, though, she would get this sudden fear in the back of her eyes and say that "No, I think that he's inside the city" or "Like Meowth would stay in there?" He would just sigh and continue looking around. By three, James was tired of this stupid city. He didn't like it when they first came here, and that certainly hadn't changed.  
  
"Jessie," he finally whined. "This is stupid. Meowth isn't here, and he isn't there. He's not in this city, and he probably won't ever be. He's in some other place, like another town, waiting for us!" After a couple of seconds of silence, she responded him with a yet again silent comment, "Don't be silly, James. This city is the only place around for miles."  
  
He blinked at her vocabulary. "Don't be silly...? And that's another thing," he said, starting to get annoyed with her. "What's up with you? You've been acting weird lately." His brows frowned in confusion at the memories of her behavior.   
  
Jessie looked at him in confusion as well. "What do you mean, weird? I'm acting just like I always do; logical."  
  
He folded his arms across his chest, and said in a mater-of-fact voice, "You're not yelling. Since when do you get angry and not yell?" In an afterthought, he added, "When do you never yell?"  
  
She put her hands on her hips, as if to make herself more dominating, "I am too yelling!"   
  
He looked at her in shock. She was barely talking loud. Certainly not enough to draw attention to herself. He sighed and shook his head, whispering, "Jessie...what's wrong with you?"  
  
Jessie was silent as they continued to stare at each other. Was she really not yelling? Oh course she was! She always yelled! It would be a totally un-Jessie like thing to do! *Would he lie to you, especially about your tantrums?* her voice questioned. 'I do not have tantrums!' she yelled back. *So what are you doing now?* 'Making a statement!' *It seems to me that you're having a tantrum, and that James seems very worried about you.* For what it seemed for the first time since she had met him, Jessie actually looked at him. How come she had never noticed how green his eyes were, like the leaves of a flower? Or that it always seemed that they were filled with emotions; emotions that she could name, and some she could not? One of the few that she could name, however, was fear. He was afraid of...what? Of himself? Of him dying at any moment due to their very low-paid jobs? For...her? The voice in her head snickered, *See? You never notice these things! I can't believe that that I'm your annoying little voice!*  
  
She felt tears at the back of her eyes and a lump at the beginning of her throat. She swallowed the lump and blinked back the tears immediately. How could she be crying? She never cried! Especially when it came to other people! That was so...sympathetic! *And how can you be sympathetic to yourself?* it said sarcastically. 'Who said that I was being sympathetic to me?' she snapped back. *Then who else would you be? Certainly not James,* it said once again sarcastically. She mentally growled, 'I do not love him!' It snickered again. *And who said anything about loving him?* She felt her face drain of its energy and color. 'But...I...' *Ha! Caught in your own trap, eh? If voices could grin triumphantly, her voice would be.   
  
James took a step closer to her as he called her name for the fifth time. And for the fifth time, she didn't respond. It was like her soul had left her body, and it stood there, waiting for her, still in its confused   
and startled state. Distressed, he placed his hand on her shoulder. As he did so, she let out a startled cream and jumped back. In alarm, he too jumped back.  
  
Her heart thumping from more than just being surprised into reality, she through her hand to her mouth from screaming. "Don't do that!" She 'humphed' and walked away.  
  
By this time, James was ready to start panicking. But being the reasonable guy that he was, he took a breath instead. He didn't know what was wrong with her, but he definitely knew something was up. He only shook his head and walked slowly after her.   
  
It was dinner again, and, just like every other dinner they had shared for the past few days, they were silent. They had only been sitting there for about twenty minutes when he slammed his cup on the table.  
  
Yet again, she was startled into reality. "What's wrong?"  
  
"You! I don't care what you say, but something is wrong with you, and I want to know what it is, right now." In attempt to make himself more commanding, he folded his arms across his chest. Jessie only shook her head and sighed. She stood up and wiped her suddenly sweaty hands on her pants.   
  
"I think that I'm going to go for a walk." She started for the door, but a hand jerked her from reaching her destination. Her eyes widened in shock when she stared up into James's own determined eyes. How was it that just last week he had been forceless and yielding to her wishes, when he now seemed so much more dominant?   
  
As she gazed up into his imposing green eyes with silent amazement, ready to ask him what he was doing, stopping her from her long wanted walk, but his next actions stilled her. He had drawn her close to him, slipping one arm behind her back with his other hand to her neck and leaned towards her, and carefully brought his lips to hers. Jessie stiffened in shock at his sudden action, but for only a moment, before she found herself being taken up by the enduring sensation of his kiss. He kissed her long and deep, as well as bringing forth long hidden desires and needs from her. As he finally lifted his lips from hers, something twisted from inside, and out into the now seemingly warm air. With dazed, clouded, eyes, and deeply flushed cheeks, she realized just how much she had loved him, how long she had loved him, and how stupid she was for not noticing it now.  
  
His own shinning eyes bore down into hers, as if wandering through her soul, looking for something that he so desperately needed to know and hear. She felt her cheeks redden, even though she knew not it that came to be. She opened her mouth to tell him what she had tried to ignore, but a loud banging on the wooden door brought them both down from their private cloud in a sparkling sky full of unknown wonders that they had yet to learn, back down to earth, and into reality.  
  
A booming voiced echoed through the room, "Open this damn door now!" The two just stared confusingly at the other, still wrapped together, as the man continued to bellow. "Open the fuckin' door! Or I'll break it down!" They slowly slipped out of the other's arms while James, still in shock, went to open the door, not quite drilling in that the man behind the door was furious. Jessie's legs began to buckle beneath her and she sat upon the bed in amazement. She slowly brought her shaking fingers to her lips as she stared off in the distance. However, when he opened the door, James eyes widened in shock and horror.   
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's Notes: What did you guys think? Too wordy? Too stupid? Too...whatever? PLEASE tell me what you guys think! Yeah... ::sighs:: it was short...again... Thanks for reading! ^o^ ^_^ Tee hee!  



	4. Part Four

Separation - Part Four  
  
Author's Notes: Hey minna-san!! How are you? ^_^ Sorry about the last chapter with the out-of-character parts. I knew there was something I was missing in those notes! -_-;; My bad...  
  
Key:  
"..." Everyday conversation  
'...' Inner thoughts or stressed words  
*...* Annoying voice  
  
Disclaimers: Mmm-hmm...so what's new with you, Mr. D?  
  
~~~~~~~ @---{------ ~~~~~~~  
  
Jessie sat on the bed, lost in a daze as she continued to think about their shared kiss. It had been...well, it had been...*Sweet? Magical? Special?* it offered generously. When she didn't respond, it humphed. *You have to pick some type of description! Share, share!* it growled at her. She smiled. 'I suppose that it was...'  
  
Her thoughts were immediately ceased when she heard a sickening pop and a howl. The cry of agony was like that of a wild animal who had just got its leg caught into some horrible hunter's trap. She was up on her feet at once. Not knowing what to expect she had barely peeked around the corner when a huge man came barging in.  
  
She yelped in surprise and jumped back in fear when caught a look on his face. He could well be Frankenstein's twin, if he had wanted to be. He seemed to be well over six feet, and his face was distorted and furious-like, as if he had just walked in when some intruder was murdering his family.  
  
He just stood there as his face began to change from ferocious to shock, and then to finally horror. "Who are you?" she demanded forcefully. The man just stood there, as if he had seen a ghost.  
  
It was then that James came tumbling in, and her own face went through a transformation. It from demanding to dismay as her eyes fell upon James. His eyes were rough and he clutched his nose as if there was no tomorrow. She pushed the man out of her way, for he was blocking her way to him. He moved before she even touched him.  
  
When she was at his side, she gently pulled his arms away from his face, despite his whimpering. Blood was rushing down through his nose like a river flowing downstream. It covered his hands, and was instantly on her hands as well. She whirled at this man who had dared to hit him.  
  
"Who the hell do you think you are, going around punching people like that? He broke his nose!" Her eyes reminded that man of those of his own wife's when she was mad; like those of a Rapidash.   
  
"I...I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I must written down the wrong room number."  
  
She couldn't believe her ears. Written down the wrong number? "Written down the wrong number? You write down the wrong 'number,' go to that room, and practically kill a person because of your benumbed brain?"  
  
James picked himself up from the wall. "Now, Jess, I don't think that..."  
  
"Shut up, James," she yelled, not taking her eyes off of the man before her. She didn't seem to notice how appalled he looked, or that his shoulders were slumped. Nor did she notice the sadness in his eyes.  
  
James backed off. How could he not, when she was back to herself again? Slowly, he made his way into the bathroom. The blood was still coming, and didn't want to get his clothes bloody.  
  
"Look, ma'am, sir," he nodded carefully to James as he slipped inside, "I'm really sorry about this. If there's anything I can do to help..."  
  
"I think that you've helped enough," Jessie sneered at him. She turned her back to him and marched into the bathroom after James.  
  
He was holding a dry wash cloth to his nose carefully, as if it would magically make the blood disappear. She pushed him lightly on the toilet and grabbed another cloth from the rack and rinsed that with cold water. They exchanged towels and she quickly wetted that one, so as not to stain the whiteness of it. After all, who knew how much that would cost?  
  
A creak of the floor caught their attention and they looked at the door. The man large, who now looked like a timid child with his hands folded in front of him, began to speak. "I'm really sorry." He began to blush in his embarrassment. "My wife and I are here on vacation, you see, and she's been acting squirming, so to say, for the past couple of weeks, as if she's been keeping so secret." Whereas Jessie didn't have the foggiest of what he was saying, James did. "And, well, when I came to our room, or, rather your room, and the key wouldn't work, I thought that well..." His flush deepened as he looked down in shame. Jessie, still not catching on, was ready to last at him once again. James, on the other hand, was already up and ushering the man out of the bathroom. He had thrown the bloody cloth in the sink and grabbed the other one, even if he didn't need. The blood still oozed from his painfully bruised, but not broken, nose, but not as bad as before.   
  
Jessie humphed and sat on the toilet, taking James's free seat. *OK, what just happened there?* 'Damned if I know,' she mumbled. What 'had' happened? One minute they were eating, the next James had started yelling at her. 'Yelling.' James never yelled. And then...and then he had kissed her. She sighed as she remembered the feel of his lips on hers. It had been the most wonderful experience she had ever encountered before. Never in her life had she felt so alive as she had in those few moments of rapture.   
  
She sighed again as she looked at her entwining hands, unsure of what to think anymore. She had thought it was wrong to love her best friend, and so desperately had tried to hide it from not only from him, but herself as well. She could still remember, she thought with a smile, the night when she realized that she loved him. It was before the time that they had joined the Bike Gang, and they were on the run from the Pokemon Tech...  
  
  
  
They had been walking for the longest time, or so James had been thinking. In truth, it 'had' been a long time, about eight hours. They had gotten up right when the sun had risen, and it was now two o'clock, and they hadn't even taken one stop to rest; thus, no food. Exhausted, James collapsed on a log. Usually, Jessie would have yelled at him to get back up, but she was more than willing to agree with him. She, too, fell on the log. She pulled off her broken shoes and began to rub her feet, whimpering as she did so.  
  
After a while, James began to whine. "Jessie! I'm hungry! When are we going to get something to eat?"  
  
"Stop it!" she snapped. "You know we don't have any money, we're out in the middle of this stupid forest, so how do you expect food to arrive? By falling into our laps? Ha!" She put her shoes back on and stood up. "Well, we're not getting anywhere any faster, so I suppose that we should start moving again."  
  
James had never seemed to cease awing her. She was everything he wasn't; brave, smart, out-going, and sarcastic. She had won every fight she had ever picked up, except for one. But, that really wasn't her fault. The guy was three years older, larger, and meaner. Nevertheless, she just ignored it and went on in life.   
  
As he trotted after her, Jessie could feel herself growing weak. She hadn't eaten in over a day, was tired, and dirty. She didn't like living like this; living on the run. It had only been a week since they had run away, but that wasn't the point. She wanted to stay in one place and live there. For as long as she could remember, she and her mother had been moving from house to different house. They never stayed in one place too long, and the latter always seemed to be worst than before. Would it ever end?  
  
Two hours later, they had come upon a city. It was quite large, so they figured that they could find some type of food somewhere. How right they were.  
  
A lonely old woman had been walking across the street in front of the two when a small speeding racecar turned the corner. Freaked, the two jumped forward, forcing the lady to go down with them. She had taken a liking to them immediately, and had insisted that they should accompany her for dinner. They were more than willing to agree to her kindness.  
  
They were not only given a meal that could feed an army, but also new, clean clothes and a place to stay. The old lady was the city's richest patron, and it was quite clear that it was the truth. Her mansion was large, with twenty-two rooms and thirteen bathrooms. There were four stories, and each floor was made up of a different type of marble. Each room was a different theme as well. From flowers to rocks to the best movie to the best book, the old lady seemed to have it all in those rooms.   
  
They stayed there for a week. A week of rich food, warm and comfortable beds, and, unexpectedly: love. Grand-mere took care of the two runaways as if they were her own grandchildren, despite the fact that she had known them for such a short time. The two children grew to love the old women in return, and owed them their lives for her generosity, for she had saved him. Then, one afternoon, they made a solemn promise that they would stay together for all time. It was what Grand-mere wanted, and she said so as she took her last breath of air.  
  
They left that night, never to return to the house that they had grown to love so well. They refused to go to her burial. Instead, they spent that day sitting in an old alleyway, hiding from the world. They, however, could not keep themselves from her gravesite, and so they visited her in the dead of night. As try as they might, the frightened children could not pull themselves away from her warm embrace that still seemed to hold them, and so they spent the night on the ground, sleeping next to her for one last time.  
  
That had been a year before they found themselves at the town that they would become famous.   
  
It had been two months that they had joined the bike gang when they were finally chased out to prove their worthiness of the gang. They were to only allowed sleep in what they had on, on a rainy night, and sleep under a bush as their shelter. It was indeed very cold and they had been huddling close to each other. They were sitting side-by-side, trying to keep the other warm with their bodies when sleep finally took over James. While sleeping, his body had slumped down and his head had fallen onto her lap. The only reason she knew this was because of the sudden warmth that was gone from her side. She looked down onto his peaceful face as he slept on her in content. She smiled at him and gently pushed away the single strand from his forehead. As if he could sense her smile, he gave her a smile of his own and fell in a deeper slumber. She looked upon his face with gentleness and love, for it had just struck her like a bolt of lightning that she did love him. And it didn't surprise her in the least. It was if she had been expecting the realization to dawn on her, and she had been waiting patiently. Nevertheless, that confession did not keep her from telling him of her new founded feelings. Instead, she had made a second oath; that she would not tell him. Their friendship was too precious for her to just throw it away because of a 'feeling.'   
  
She didn't move from her spot on the cold ground that night. She was comfortable just the way she was, with James laying on her lap and her hands on his hair and in her shirt. After all, she had finally discovered that she was in love with the person she cared for the most in the world.  
  
  
  
Before she realized it, the day and night had gone, and it was yet again the beginning of a new day. They hadn't spoken a word since that shared experience the night before. They were both lost in thoughts of the past, the present, and the future. Neither knew what the future held in store for them now. Would they go on with life now? Or would it come to a drastic change? Or, worst of all, would they break the passionate promise that they had made to Grand-mere?  
  
They didn't know, nor would they. Only time could tell.  
  
James was the first to break the deafening silence by clearing his throat. "I was wondering, instead of staying coped up in her, if you would want to go to the restaurant in the lobby?"  
  
She was silent for a minute, pondering his question. Nevertheless, it 'would' be nice to eat in a restaurant. How long had it been since they sat down?   
  
Twenty minutes later, they were seated and looking at the large menus. Five minutes after that, they had ordered. Yet again, they were stuck in thick silence. Neither knew what to say to the other. What was there to say? *Oh, James, how about we ditch this joint and go back to the room? I think I'm having second thoughts about the restaurant idea...* Jessie, who had been drinking from her glass, choked on the water and began a fit of coughing. Concerned, James offered a hand, but she only shook her head as the cough diminished. 'Where had that come from?' *Why,* giggled her inner voice, *From you, silly. Where else?* 'I most certainly do not think that that came from me!' *Oh, silly me! Of course it wasn't you! It was the Boogie Man who has captured your brain and made you go insane! Hello! I'm your subconscious! Of course I should know if you were thinking that or not.* She only shook her head in disagreement. 'Well, I'm certainly not about to oppose about coming to this restaurant.' She grinned, 'It was nice of him to think of it, don't you think?'   
  
James, meanwhile, had been looking curiously at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but a large silhouette fell over Jessie. His eyes were immediately shot up towards the source of the large shadow, and grinned as he saw him.  
  
"I see you guys made it after all!" The booming voice erupted from behind her. She yelped from fright and was up on her feet before the second was up. When she saw who it was, she began to glare and began to spit fire at him when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked up at James in shock as he shook hands with the man that had broke his nose. Well...bruised it.   
  
The scene before seemed to blur before her as she desperately tried to make sense of it. They were acting like they were old friends, instead of an intruder and victim. Her brows frowned in confusion and concentration. The large man, who was called Leonard, stood across from Jessie and James. Politely, and unexpected by all three, Jessie shook his hand. Leonard blushed, "Once again, I am truly sorry about yesterday." James only shook it away, saying that his nose was fine and already on its way to healing. Jessie, however, could hear falseness in his voice and looked up at him. When he looked down at her, she could see that his words were untrue, that it still pained him. She blinked when she thought that she saw something else there. Forgetting about Leonard was still standing there, she blinked a second time, and it had not disappeared, she continued to search his eyes, as if they would give off some clue as what it was he was hiding. James hadn't been able to hide things from her very well before, so why should that start now?  
  
A polite cough came from in front of them and their attention was immediately brought forth. Nevertheless, the grinning man noticed their guilty blushes of embarrassment covered their cheeks.   
  
Directly after his cough, however, a woman appeared at his side. James's eyes widened in shock as he caught sight of her. If he hadn't have known Jessie a more than half of his life, he could have mistaken this woman to be her. She had the same shape of eyes, the same high cheekbones, and the same color hair. However, upon further check, he noted that her nose was slightly larger and her lips smaller and thinner. Her ears were also a little larger, and her hair duller, not that of the full vibrant color of Jessie's.   
  
James's eyes were instantly at Leonard's. Leonard nodded as a silent explanation connected between the two. This was the reason why he pounded down their door and had stopped to stare at Jessie as if she were some ghost.  
  
"Jessie, James, this is my wife, Arabella."   
  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Please, please, PLEASE, PLEASE review!! I really need to know where I'm standing... Thank you to all of you have responded! ^_^ And thanks for your support!  



	5. Part Five

Separation - Part Five  
  
  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
  
  
Author's Notes: Well, here's part five. Thanks for stopping by ^_^ Again, not too much, but in the next few chapters, I plan on introducing some new twists. ^_^ I like twists! Dun, dun, dun...! ^_~  
  
Disclaimers: And what about you, Mrs. D? Treating Mr. D all right? ^_^ That's good!  
  
Key is the same as last time...:  
"..." Dialogue  
'...' Thoughts or stressed words  
*...* Annoying little voice  
  
  
^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^  
  
  
Arabella smiled at the two younger people in front of her and bowed shortly. "Nice to meet you."   
  
Jessie smiled curtly back, not bothering with her. She sighed and leaned in on the leg closer to James unconsciously. Arabella, however, noted it with a smirk. Jessie lightly glared at her.  
  
When the four had been better aquatinted, and the two ordered food for themselves, did they begin any real discussion. Apparently, Leonard was a glass modeler. Jessie tried to imagine this large man to be gentle enough to handle glass, but the image wouldn't come. He was well known in his small town and throughout his country, Arabella said, but when asked where his country was located, he just replied, "Far away." Jessie didn't trust him or his wife.   
  
Jessie and James listened to Leonard's ramblings of how a piece of glass could be molded into a statue. It was amazing how someone could speak of how glass could bend for twenty-nine minutes. Finally, breakfast came, and they were blessed with silence.  
  
Jessie, who had lost her appetite, began to play with her food. She pushed at it lightly, making faces here, and a mountain there. James, although silent, noticed her playing and grew worried. *You seem to be doing a lot of that,* his annoying buddy said. 'What do you mean?' he blinked. *Worrying. Since when do you worry about anyone, especially Jessie?* He pondered his question. Exactly 'when' had he started worried about her? Sure, he worried for her safety everyday. After all, were they not the group of the world's most dangerous criminals? However, he had begun to really worry about her since they got here. It was if she was sick, but there were no symptoms of sickness. She wasn't red with a fever or dizzy. The only thing that was the matter with her was... He sighed. He didn't know, nor did he know if she was ever going to tell him. It hurt him, sometimes, that she kept secrets from him. Particularly when it was hurting her.  
  
Remarkably, the breakfast ended and the two groups went in different ways. Leonard offered to take them to where ever they were going, but they replied that it was in walking distance. He nodded and they split.  
  
A wave of relief washed over James when he sat down on a divan that the hotel management kept in the Lobby. Jessie sat next to him, also obviously in relief. After a while, James asked if she wanted to go out and into the town. She was more than willing to agree. Truth be told, she was beginning to feel like the walls were closing in on her. She closed her eyes when the electric doors opened and a fresh breeze flew through, indicating that winter was upon them.   
  
They walked out of town, and near the edge of the forest, so they might get away from the yelling people and honking horns of cars and pollution. Even though they denied it, they much more have preferred the quietness of the forest.   
  
They stopped when they came to the beginning of the trees and sat against a large oak tree. Although they said nothing to each other, they were both acutely acknowledged with the other's presence. It was as if they were both wearing some sort of magnets that were faced in the right direction all the time. They always seemed to find each other in difficult situations, as well as being drawn to each other when they were close. Jessie, despite her fear of being close to other people, liked it. She hated the fact of being alone, and also hated being close to others, for she was afraid of losing them. James had just somehow been there for her.   
  
When she looked over at him, he was fingering a flower. She smiled. He was always the soft type, preferring to be in a greenhouse or garden than at the usual wrestling matches. Although she herself liked wrestling, and would drag poor James to them on numerous occasions, he would act as if he was enjoying himself. In fact, now that she thought about it, she was always dragging him here, or pushing him in there, but he never asked her to do anything he wanted. True, he had 'asked' if she wanted to go to Flower Show or if they could go to the fountain gardens, but she would always say 'no.' He had never complained about it either. She frowned in thought. Wasn't it only fair that they should switch turns on where they would visit now and then?  
  
When she turned to face him, she soon discovered that he was looking at her. "What?" she blinked. He was wearing a lop-sided grin and shook his head.  
  
"Nothing," was his reply. She smiled back at him uncertainly.   
  
"What?" she asked, trying to get out whatever was in him.  
  
He just continued to smile and shook his head. He twirled the flower in his fingers without any thought towards it and another sudden thought came to her.  
  
"You know, James, I've always wondered why you use a 'rose' for your...personal...trademark?"  
  
He stopped twirling it before she even finished her sentence. Her smile was replaced by a frown at his expression on his face. It was blank, as if he wasn't there, but rather his soul had left its body behind, and forgot to tell it that it was no longer living.  
  
"James?"   
  
He was snapped out of his memory with a sudden jerk. His elbow poked Jessie in the ribs and she let out a startled yelp. James, also surprised, yelled out. Her hand was instantly at her side, rubbing it to get rid of the pain.   
  
"Aw, Jess, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"  
  
She stopped rubbing and shook her head, "No. I'm fine. So, why do you carry those roses?"  
  
"Why? Do you think they're stupid?" he snapped.   
  
"No, I just..."  
  
He shook his head and she grew silent. "I'm sorry, it's just a touchy subject for me."  
  
"If it bothers you, you don't have to say anything about it."  
  
He seemed to take that into consideration, because it wasn't for some time before he responded. "No, I guess you should know," he looked at her and gave her another lope-sided grin. "Besides, it's been my 'trademark' for a long time now, huh?" Unaware to her, she blushed and nodded. He reclined against the tree as he began. "I don't really remember how long ago it was, or even how old I was, but my parents had invited some of their friends over. It was a summer day, that I do remember, and they had three kids. Two girls, and an older boy. The boy was two years older than me, and was mean. He would constantly tease me, along with one of his sisters. I don't remember what they did, but I had ran out and into one of our gardens. I had forgotten that there were 'two' sisters, but when I saw the other one, she had a certain...liking to her. When she saw me, she smiled. No one had ever smiled at me unless it was out of politeness, and I was surprised. She had waved me over to sit next to her and she told me that she didn't have any gardens in her house. I told her everything I knew about them, which were about three things. They were pretty, they came in a variety of colors, and we had them in all of our gardens." He smiled and shook his head at his he thought of how pathetic he was. "Then it was time for her to go, but before she did, she had went over to a bush and picked a rose and gave it to me. It was the first gift anyone had ever given to me out of kindness." He was silent after that, as was Jessie.   
  
She sat there and thought about the story he had just shared with her. Even if it was ridiculous, she felt a pang of jealousy spring in her. *How touching. Jealous over a two-year-old.* 'I am not jealous! Besides, who said she was two? James doesn't even remember when it happened.' *That's not the point. The point is, you're jealous of some kid that he hasn't seen in over ten years.* 'And what's so interesting about that?' she murmured. *That you love him so much as to be jealous of a kid.* She was silent at that. Did she love him that much? Of course she loved him, but did had she grown to love him so much that she had past the point of no return?   
  
James was silent as well. *So much as telling her,* his own voice scowled. 'And how could I do that?' *Easy, just say that you...* 'Do you know what she would do to me if I told that? She would easily 'kill' me with no hesitation.' *For some reason, I don't think that she would take it as hard as you think.* 'Oh? And why is that?' *Because, deep down, I think she already knows.* James turned to look at her as if she was dealing with some thoughts of her own. He was tempted to ask her what she was thinking, but thought better of it, just taking pleasure at looking at her. He was surprised to discover that she was chewing on her bottom lip; something she hadn't done in a long time.   
  
He grinned and pointed at her mouth. "You're biting your lip." He remembered the first time he had told her that, and how she had jumped all over him. She had said that she never bit her lip, and that only babies did such stupid things. Overtime, however, whenever he would continue with telling her so, she would immediately un-bite herself and continue on as usual. She finally stopped after a while.  
  
As usual, she stopped and blinked at him. "I was not."  
  
He laughed. "Of course you weren't, Jessie." His gaze looked at her after a few seconds, resting on her silent face. His smile erased from his face as he continued to look at her. She really was beautiful, with the high sun brushing away the shadows that would have been covering it, and her eyes wide. Without realizing it, he was leaning towards her, his face inches from hers.  
  
His lips hovered over hers and she could feel his warm breath lightly fanning her own lips. She could feel her heart beat faster and found it harder to breathe. After what had seemed like eternity, she could feel him hesitate and start to move back. Nevertheless, she had longed for his kiss since the other night. So, before she could talk herself out of it, she wrapped her hands around his necks and pressed her lips to his.  
  
He should have been shocked, he supposed, but the wave of passion that had washed over him dangled in suspension. He snaked his own arms around her as he kissed her back. A shiver of delight rippled through him as he felt one of her hands reach up and pulled lightly on the little hairs on the back of his neck. She sighed against his lips, and he responded with a sigh of his own.  
  
Finally, they pulled apart and before he knew what to do, she curled up against him, leaning her head against his chest and closing her eyes. Unconsciously, he wrapped his arms around her and held her closer to him, savoring her warmth against him.   
  
A breeze blew slightly as a flock of Fearows and Spearows flew over head. They squawked in singing as they sang their song of flight. James rested the side of his head on the top of her hair as he closed his eyes as well. He knew that she was asleep, and a strange new feeling soared through him. It was the feeling of some missing piece to a jigsaw puzzle was placed into its right place for the first time. There were still many more missing pieces, but for now, he was contented to just sit there and relax from the frustration of finding that blasted piece that he had so desperately been looking for. It was found, and there was no way he was going to let it go again.  
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
  
Author's Notes: What did minna-san think?! Please, please review! ^_^ Thanks!!! If you have any questions or anything, feel free to e-mail me! Fushigi_Rocket@yahoo.com or RyuennoMiko@aol.com ^_^   
Thanks again!   
~ Marie   



	6. Part Six

Separation - Part Six  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
  
Disclaimers: -_-;;...  
  
Key:  
"..." - Dialogue  
'...' - Inner thoughts or stressed words  
*...* - Annoying Voice  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
A light shower of powdery snow fell from the sky in a gentle rhythm. The sun was almost set, and began to cast a blue-purple hue upon the land. The forest was silent, but not that of fear or destruction. It was a comfortable, serene and relaxing silence. Two sleeping forms slumbered under a massive tree as snow covered them in a thin layer of white. James stirred awake as a snowflake landed gently on his nose.  
  
As he did so, Jessie was awakened. Her eyes fluttered open and she lazily took in the scene before. With foggy eyes, she realized that she was not inside the hotel room, but rather outside. Memories of earlier that day flooded through her with awakened thoughts and feelings as she remembered them in a flash. It was then that she realized that she was lying on James's lap. She sat with a muffled gasp and a blush.  
  
James, thankfully, had been rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and therefore did not see her red face. He dropped his hand at the missing warmth. "Hey," he said with a slight smile.  
  
"Hi." She began looked around in the forest. A sudden chill split down her spine, and she folded her arms across her chest, as if that would ward it off. She felt rather than saw James stand up and brush himself off. She snapped her head towards him when she heard him laugh. "What? What's so funny?" she asked.  
  
He continued to grin as he leaned over and began to ruffle her hair. "Hey!" she complained, trying to swat his hand away. "Do you know how hard it is to keep my hair this way?" *Of course he does, hence being your 'best friend.'*   
  
"There's snow in your hair," he responded, still grinning. It was quite a sight for him, with a thin layer of white mixed with her red hair. She looked up as high as she could and tugged at a loose lock. She laughed with him.  
  
"Oh," was her only reply before she forcibly brushed the flakes off. "Well, so much as keeping my hair nice and tidy." They smiled at each other affectionately. Then, after what seemed for like hours, James cleared his throat and extended his hand towards her, offering her to take it. She lightly placed her hand inside his, and he wrapped his fingers slowly around her own and gently lifted her up. She gasped softly when she looked into his eyes. They were darker shade of green than they usually were; like that of the darker part of the sea.   
  
She blinked and, sucking in her breath, and took a step back. "I-I think that we should be heading back. It's getting dark." With that, she turned around and began to walk back towards the city.  
  
James sighed as he watched her retreating figure. She was a very confusing woman. One minute she would be quite and fun, the next she would be as shy as a turtle. In fact, a turtle was the perfect comparison of her. She would clam up inside her shell, taking in her problems and keeping them hidden, and then pop out and start biting and snapping at people. But, unlike the turtle, she was human, and could therefore be reached with dialogue and time. However, time was running out, and it would then be too late. He froze with a deep frown. 'Time was running out? What's that supposed to mean?' He shook his head to rid himself of that ridiculous thought, and continued on his way.  
  
By the time they reached the back door to the hotel, the snow was falling harder and faster. They entered the building with soaked hair, along with equally wet clothes. They took one look at each other and burst into laughter. Despite the carpet, Jessie ringed out her hair and flicked her hands to rid herself of the water.   
  
Still grinning, they ran to their room on the second floor. Jessie was the first to the door, but it was James who had the key. Thus, it was he that reached the restroom first.   
  
"James! James, will you hurry up!" Jessie threw her boots off in a corner, and tried desperately to get rid of the water that made her cold.  
  
"I'm trying! Besides, 'you' always take your time." She could hear the humor in his voice, and scowled at him.   
  
"Yeah, well, that's because every beauty needs her...beauty...time." She grinned and closed the door behind her at his laughing voice.  
  
When she was finally clean and dry, Jessie came out of the restroom. James, however, was not at his usual place on the bed with the flipper in his hand. Confused, she opened the door to the hallway and peeked outside. Not finding him there either, she closed the door.  
  
Nevertheless, when she turned around, she let out a scream of shock and let her hand fly out. An equally surprised outcry echoed her own.  
  
"My God, James! I told you not to do that to me!" Her chest heaved from the excitement and anger, and twaped him over his head.  
  
"Ouch! That hurt, Jessie!" he pouted, rubbing his head.  
  
"Yeah well, just be lucky that that was the 'only' thing I did to you," she grumbled.  
  
He put his hand down and threw her, her jacket. "Hurry, we're going to be late." He started to push her out of the door while she struggled to put the jacket on.  
  
"Where...where are we going?" He grinned at her as he continued to push her in the hall.  
  
"I think I figured out why you've been acting so...distraught lately."  
  
'Distraught? What does he mean, distraught? I am perfectly fine!' "What do mean?" she asked, starting to get mad.   
  
He had a smile pasted on his that resembled what strangely looked like childish glee. "It's because it's almost Christmas. And, because I know how much you like the snow, I made us reservations."  
  
'Christmas?' She looked around her, wondering how they had not only left the hotel, but were already two blocks away. She shrugged mentally and continued to follow him. "Reservations for what?"  
  
His eyes ginned back at her. "It's a surprise!"  
  
She sighed, not wanting to be 'surprised.' She wanted to know what it was now! The feeling of excitement filled her. James seemed to be excited about it, and therefore it had to be good. What could it be? Ice-skating? No, way! She'd never put on skates before in fear of falling and breaking something. Maybe a movie? That sounds reasonable. After all, when was the last time they'd seen a movie? But, why would he make reservations for 'that?' She sighed again. Perhaps it was just better to be surprised.  
  
They rounded a corner and he pushed her forward. She gasped at what she saw before her, and froze in place.  
  
A small sparkling white topless carriage with shinning gold lining stood with four large white wheels. The soft material of the seats were also white with gold lining. One large white Rapidash stood impatiently and dug at the ground with his front foot. Amazingly, the horse was white as well, including his flames. Had it been any other day, Jessie and James would have come up with some plan to steal it. He shook his mane and turned to look at Jessie, giving her a 'would-you-hurry-up-and-get-on-before-I-take-off-by-myself-and-watch-you-try-to-catch-me-while-I-laugh' look.  
  
She felt James lean over her and whisper in her ear, "I also knew that you've always wanted to go on a horse-and-carriage ride as well."  
  
She turned around and threw her arms around him, grinning. "Oh, thank you! You're so sweet!" Grabbing his hand, she pulled him towards the waiting carriage. They stopped in front of the company's sign and her eyes passed over it quickly. "Violet City Carriage Rides." She rolled her eyes. 'Wow,' she thought. 'How original.'   
  
Jessie was the first to board, while James talked to the man holding onto the reins. After a few minutes, James also mounted. To both of their surprises, the man handed the reins to James.  
  
"We're kinda understaffed, today. You don't mind, do you? Sacha trust you."  
  
"I...I suppose not... Just don't come running after me if we come back with a black Rapidash and a broken carriage."   
  
The man laughed at his remark. "Just remember to keep reins loose, and pull right rope to go right and vice versa. Good luck!" He laughed again after the two re-organized themselves. He waved after them as they trotted away.  
  
James, having absolutely no idea where he was going, turned on random trails. The Rapidash, or "Lightning," seemed to have an idea of where he wanted to go. James struggled to keep hold of the reins, much to Jessie's amusement. She laughed whenever they slipped out of his hands and he went diving after them, or when he was holding them too tight, and Lightning pulled his neck forward and James was thrust forward.   
  
"Damn Rapidash. Always finding a way to make it the master." He thought for a moment before grinning at Jessie. "I think I've just found your long-lost big brother!"  
  
Jessie glared at him. "Ha, ha, really funny." As if agreeing with her, Lightening neighed angrily and pulled on the reins. James's attention was on the Rapidash immediately.  
  
"Hey. Hey! Stop it! It's bad enough that I'm sitting next to one, so I don't need one in front of me too."  
  
She punched him in the arm. "What's that supposed to mean?"   
  
"Nothing," he responded quickly.  
  
Jessie shrugged and looked around at her surroundings. The snow had stopped long ago, and had left a blanket of pure white. No footprints were imprinted on the layer, nor were there clumps of dropped snow. With the bells on Lightning's harness mingling with the songs of the birds in the trees, and with James sitting beside her, she felt a strange feeling flow over her. It took her a while before she could name it, and was surprised when she realized what it was; peace. She had never felt just peace fill her before, but she liked it. She liked not worrying about where she was going to sleep that night, or if she was going to eat dinner, or if she would even survive to see the morning. Another feeling mixed within the peace and that was security. She felt secure with James, yet she always had. She had since she had first seen him at Pokemon Tech, and still did. She supposed that she always would.  
  
She looked over at James, and laughed at what she saw. During her pondering, James had somehow gotten snow over him, and he was frantically trying to get it off of him. She peeked over at Lightning, who seemed to be skipping. She had a fairly good idea of how that had happened, and that it was Lightning's doing. He had probably seen the weak branch that held the snow and had deliberately slowed down until it broke.   
  
James glared at her. "If we were in switched positions, I don't think that you'd be the one laughing."  
  
"But we're not in switched positions, are we?" She continued to laugh.  
  
He stuck out his tongue and threw her the reins. "You drive until I get this blasted cold stuff off of me."  
  
She sighed and shook her head. "I still can't understand why you don't like the snow."  
  
"I don't see how one 'could' like this stuff. It's cold, it's wet, it's a nuisance, it's cold, it ruins people's lives, it's pretty and light, and it's fun to play in, and...and..." He searched quickly for a word that summoned up his feelings and smiled triumphantly at her when he did. "And it's cold."  
  
She sighed with a smile and lightly held the reins. As if knowing who held the reins, Lightning balanced out onto a smooth trot. Feeling courageous, however, Jessie gave him a small 'thwap' with the ropes. Lightning, feeling more than eager to comply took off in a canter. Jessie laughed as James was lurched back. He quickly grabbed onto the railing on his side and righted himself up.   
  
"That was mean of you! You should have told me you were going to do that!" He paled as the horse picked up speed. "I think he's going to fast!"  
  
"Oh, shut up and relax! I've always wanted to do this, so I get to go as fast as I want!" She laughed again as she urged the horse to go faster.   
  
After some time when Lightning had grown tired, they turned around. The forest was full of light, and the trail they had left behind in the snow was fresh. There was no need to worry, Jessie tried to comfort James. Besides, Lightning knew he way around. He had probably done this a million times already.  
  
"Still, I think that those reins would be safer with me. I can't trust you now! You'll just take off again."  
  
She giggled and handed him the reins. However, when his hands had enclosed the reins, Lightning growled. "Is it just me, or did that animal just 'growl?'"  
  
"I think you've found a new best friend, James."  
  
Suddenly, Lightning stopped. His ears perked up to find and hear a certain sound, and went immediately back. It took off on a lurching dead run towards the way they had come, but in that process, James had let go of the reins and dropped them in-between the Rapidash and harness.   
  
Jessie didn't laugh this time as she jumped forward along with James to grab the reins. Knowing that it was futile, and to Jessie's surprise, James climbed over the metal bar that kept people from doing just what he was doing. Nevertheless, with swift fingers and arms, James finally managed to grab the reins. However, just as his fingers clenched the ropes, Lightning ran over a large rock which caused the carriage to jerk. James lost his balance and fell onto Lightning's back, and just missing getting burned.  
  
He pulled himself upright and pulled on Lightning's reins as hard as he could. After minutes of that, Lightning slowed to a canter, then to a trot, and finally a complete stop. He sighed in relief and slipped off. He didn't even realize that Lightning hadn't burned him.  
  
Grinning, he came to the entrance of the carriage. "Well, it looks like we've had our excitement for the day."  
  
To his complete astonishment, he felt something collide with him and he lost his balance. He struggled to sit up against the impact that had pushed him to the ground. His shock grew when he looked at Jessie's face, at its redness and how her eyes were full of tears. "J-Jessie?"  
  
"I thought that you were going to fall," she whispered.  
  
James was too shock to talk, for he had never seen Jessie in this state before. Sure, he had seen her cry before, but that was always usually over her own self-pity. He couldn't remember when she had ever cried over him, and they had been in much worse situations than this in the past.   
  
He put a hand on her hair and lightly stroked her soft locks. His eyes drifted over her face and he saw her lower lip tremble, which she held under her teeth to stop it from doing so. He took a deep breath and let it out before talking.  
  
"I'm fine, Jessie. I don't see why you should be so worked out about it."  
  
She shrugged and looked at the cold ground. An uneasy silence took hold on them as they tried to figure out what to say. It was Lightning, however, who broke it. He snorted and dug at the ground, as if reminding them they were on a deadline. Jessie stood up and walked over to him, and pointed an accusing finger at him. "Well, we'd be there by now if you hadn't taken off like some fraidy-cat." Lightning lowered his head and flattened his ears, peeking up at her through lowered eyes as if he knew what she said. She laughed and hugged his snot. "I forgive you." She laughed again as he butted his head against her.  
  
James watched the play with amusement. Yes, she had been acting terribly different lately, but it was a change he could readily get used to. She was acting like her old self, the old Jessie he had known at Pokemon Tech. Sweet, kind, and caring, yet dangerous and terrifying if crossed with. He hadn't seen her smile like that since...well, since a long time ago. She seemed so...happy.  
  
He stood up and walked next to her. However, when he stopped next to her, jumped back at her sudden outburst. "But I didn't say that I forgive you! I swear, you're going to give me a heart attack by this week is finished." She brushed past him and jumped up on the carriage. He only shook his head and jumped up after her, taking the reins from her.   
  
They walked back towards the rental station in silence yet again. 'Déjà vu.' *Well, that would happen if you'd say something,* his annoying voice said sardonically. 'What would you say.' When it didn't say anything, James snorted. 'Yeah, that's what I thought.'  
  
It was only three minutes after he had that little disagreement with himself when they reached the spot where they had rented Lightning and his carriage. They would have passed right by it, if Jessie hadn't pointed out that that was the step-like rock she had used as a stool get onto the carriage. When they jumped down, a surprise hit them, for there was no sign, or man, or even any sign of that anyone had been there all day. The only sign of life that had been there were only two sets of footprints that they recognized as their own, a pair footprints, and wheel tracks.   
  
Perplexed, James went to find a phone booth while Jessie stayed behind and looked over the Rapidash. She leaned against his neck, while she petted his nose. She liked how it felt under her fingers, that it was so soft and fuzzy. She laid her head against his mane as she tickled him under his mouth. He made a neighing sound that she could easy make out as a laugh, that is, if Rapidashs could laugh. She smiled and continued to stroke his soft nose. Then, it hit her. She jumped back in alarm at the sudden thought passed through her; he was not burning her. The two had only known each other for an hour, and yet Lightning already trusted her. She smiled in glee and looked him in his twinkling eyes.   
  
"I think you trust people too easily, Lightning. You don't know anything about me, yet you don't burn me. If you knew my true self, than you wouldn't be so easily trustworthy." She laughed as he yet again butted against her. "Of course you wouldn't." She heard her name being called from behind her, and she turned around, expecting James to be standing close to her. When she didn't see him, she frowned in confusion. Shrugging it off, she started to turn around, but when she heard her name again, she flipped around.  
  
Then, she saw someone running towards her. Still confused, she only stared at the man who now stood before her, grinning. "Jessie? Is it really you?"  
  
"Do I know you?" she asked, annoyed.   
  
The man frowned. "You don't remember me?"  
  
"Should I?" she snapped.  
  
"I'm your brother, Jessie."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
To be continued...  



	7. Part Seven

********************************************************************************  
  
Separation - Part Seven  
  
********************************************************************************  
  
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah...I don't own Pokemon...I think we know that by now.   
-_-;;  
  
Key: I think that we also know this by now, but if you're like my brother ::cough:: Ryoga ::cough::, I think that it will safer if I did this a couple more times...  
  
"..." Dialogue  
'...' Inner thoughts or stressed words   
*...* Annoying conscience/voice   
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
  
"I'm your brother, Jessie."  
  
Jessie could only stare at him. How could this perfect stranger be her 'brother?' "What do you mean, my brother? I don't have a brother, I'm an only child!"  
  
The man looked at her in shock. "Jessie, don't you remember me? Jack?" He laughed suddenly at her. "Oh, I get it! You're just playing with me! Oh, that's funny! So, how are things going with you? How's Mother? Last I heard, she was still with Team Rocket."  
  
Jessie whitened at the mention of her mother's name. How dare this complete stranger stand in front of her, claim to be her brother, and say her mother's name?  
  
"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but you're sick! You'd better get away from here before I hurt you!"  
  
Jack stopped laughing at Jessie's outburst. "You still don't believe me? Come on, Jessie. I know you were young when we parted, but didn't Mother say anything about me?"  
  
She shook her head, "No. But that's probably because you're not even her son!"  
  
A light shadow fell over his face. "Or maybe it's because she wanted to forget about us."  
  
Jessie didn't know what to say. Could this man be her brother? He couldn't have been three years older than her and he even had the same color eyes and hair she had. A thought entered her mind, and she swallowed, suddenly afraid to ask. "What do you mean...us?"  
  
Jack shook his head in sadness. "I guess she really did want to forget about us. You see, when you were five, our parents got a divorce. You went with Mother, while your sister and I went with father."  
  
"I have a sister, too?" she asked in astonishment.  
  
"Yes. She's older than you by two minutes."  
  
"You mean, my twin."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Jessie thought she was going to be sick. Could it be that Meowth had been right that there was a reason why that witch looked exactly like her? "Jessiebelle?"  
  
He grinned, "Yeah! Do you remember?"  
  
She shook her head as she grabbed onto Lightning's harness as her knees buckled under her. Jack immediately tried to grab for her but she backed away. He sighed and slowly put his arms down. "Look, Jessie, I know you're in shock right now, but I would like it if you came back to our family. Mother disappeared with Team Rocket, and we never heard from her again. Apparently, she didn't tell you of our existence, except for Jessiebelle, so..."  
  
Gaining confidence that she could stand, she stood in front of him and pointed an accusing finger at him, cutting him off. "Look, buster. If Mother wanted away from her 'family,' than there was probably a good reason for it. I've met with Jessiebelle, and if you're anything like her, than I can see why! And that's..."  
  
"What do you mean, you've met her. You're telling me that you've actually talked with her?" His eyes seem to burn with fury.   
  
"Well, not actually a conversation, but we've been in the same room. And from what I've heard of her, she doesn't seem to be the sweet, gentle girl she looks like."  
  
He growled under his breath. "I'm going to kill her. She knows how long I've been looking for you!"  
  
Jessie crossed her arms. "Humph. With her attitude, it wouldn't surprise me."  
  
"Where did you meet her, anyway? Certainly not at some small town in the forest!" he smiled jokingly.  
  
"No. I met her at..." *That's right, go ahead and tell him. Not only will you give away that you're in Team Rocket, not that that wouldn't ruin anything, but you'll also give James's location away. Now, you'd certainly want to do that, now do you?* "Um...I just ran into her one day."  
  
He looked weary at first, but nodded in approval. He then noticed what Pokemon she was leaning against. "Is she yours?"   
  
Lightning growled at him and flattened his ears. "He?" Jack recovered uncertainly. Lightning nodded quickly, and Jessie grinned.   
  
"No, he's a...rental. Isn't he lovely, though?" Jessie smiled and patted his nose.  
  
Jack smiled at Jessie. "I see that you're still as gentle as ever. I knew there was a reason why I loved you best."  
  
Jessie looked at him in shock. Her, gentle? She wanted to laugh at the ridiculous comment, but something held her back. Perhaps it was because of the thought that she had a brother, and he had just said he loved her, or maybe it was because of her childhood memories, few as they might be.   
  
He smiled at her and patted her head, and she quickly pushed his hand away. "Don't touch my hair."  
  
He grinned, "But of course." He looked at his watch and his face dropped. "Drat. It's already eight o'clock. Look, Jessie, I've got to go, but I want to see you again. What are you doing at...say, midnight, tonight?"  
  
"Midnight? I...I don't know. Probably something." Knowing James, they would either be watching television or fast asleep.  
  
Jack looked over her with a knowing eye. "I see," he said, smiling.  
  
She blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, 'I see.'?"   
  
He laughed at her puzzled look and patted her shoulder. "This is a big city, but you're not going any where until we see each other again." He pulled something out of his pocket and wrote something on it. "Here," he said, handing it to her, "This is the name of the hotel I'm staying at and my room number. I'll be expecting you, I hope." With that, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. Her eyes went wide as she watched him walk away. She looked at the card in her hand and stuffed it in her pocket. Maybe she'll seek him out. Maybe.  
  
When James finally returned, he took one look at Jessie and knew something was wrong. "What happened? Is everything all right?" he demanded looking around her. Her eyes were lost and vacant, her skin white as a ghost, and she clenched at Lightning. When she looked up at him, her lips parted by no sound came out. He was at her side instantly and unclenched her hands. "Are you all right, Jessie? What's wrong?"  
  
She was silent for a minute before shaking her head. "N-nothing," she responded, pushing away from James. "So...did you get a hold of him?"  
  
He sighed, "No. There's no record of any one with the business title 'Violet City Carriage Rides' within ten miles. It's like, he never existed."   
  
The two looked at Lightning. He was half-asleep and didn't seem to notice what they're conversation was about him. "What do you suppose we should do with him?" James asked.  
  
"I honestly don't know. Had it been any other pokemon, I would give him to the boss, but, for some reason, I don't think we should do it with him."  
  
James nodded, "Yeah. I have the same feeling."  
  
They walked in silence, neither sure of where they were going. When they found themselves in the forest, Lightning decided that this was a good place to rest. He stopped walking and refused to go on. Sighing, James leaned against the tree as he thought over that day's events. First, they had had breakfast in a 'real' restaurant. Then they had gone for a walk. He looked down at his feet as he recalled that walk, and where they had ended up. He had told her why he carried a rose, but he didn't tell her the whole story. It was true he carried it in remembrance of the first friend he had met, the friend he had made before Growly had come into his life, but he didn't tell her that that little girl was her.  
  
He didn't know why he didn't tell her that valuable information. *Probably because you're afraid of what she'd do to you.* 'Shut up. You don't know what she would do.' *No, but I have a fairly good idea of what she would do.* James sighed and kicked a dirt rock, sending it crashing into a tree, breaking apart. It was true. He was afraid of what she would say and do. She would be shocked, that was not even an option. But, the real question was, what would she do after it sunk in?  
  
When he had first seen her at Pokemon Tech, he had truthfully thought that it was Jessiebelle. The idea of her being Jessie had never even crossed his mind, for someone had told him that she was dead. When he finally did realize who she was, he wanted to leap with joy; but that was cut short when she didn't recognized him. In fact, it was as if she had never seen him before in her life. It had hurt and cut him when she never said anything about their past, but he grew used to it. After all, they were making new memories together, and without the interference of Jessiebelle.  
  
'That's another thing,' he thought suddenly. 'Why hadn't Jessiebelle done anything about Jessie when she saw her? Sure, they weren't the best of friends, but they are still sisters. Aren't sisters supposed to look after one another?'  
  
"James?"  
  
He looked up at the sound of her voice far from him. She was leaning against Lightning, lightly playing with the fire that ran along his neck. "Do you think that we'll ever find that man? I mean, will Lightning belong to us?"  
  
He shrugged. Truthfully, he hadn't even thought about that. "I don't know. I guess so. I wouldn't give him to Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy, because they're too busy to find a good home for him." He smiled at the Rapidash. "Besides, I think that he's taken a liking to you." As if on cue, Lightning leaned in towards Jessie. She smiled at Lightning and patted his head.   
  
"That's because he's smart. He knows a gorgeous face when he sees one." With a laugh, she leaned over and placed a kiss his nose. Lightning neighed and nodded his head vigorously.   
  
Unbeknownst to Jessie, Lightning gave James a smirk. Already irritated by Jessie's behavior towards the pokemon, it didn't help with his arrogant attitude. However, when he stuck his tongue out to him, Jessie did see.  
  
She thwaped him over the head with her paper fan. "Cut it out, James. We know that you're immature, but don't you think being a baby to a Rapidash is any way to become friends? After all, wasn't it you who said that we were going to keep him?" she asked charmingly.   
  
"I never said that..." he responded, scratching his neck nervously.  
  
She grinned, "Of course you did!" A flash of lightning lit the sky unexpectedly, making Jessie and James jump from both shock and fear. They took off running with Lightning behind them.   
  
It was only when they had reached the hotel that they realized they still had Lightning with them, and there were certainly no barns around for them to put him in. After many debates on what to do, James snapped at Jessie.  
  
"Just put him in one of your pokeballs and release him tomorrow. It's getting late and it's snowing again, if you haven't noticed! I'm cold, too."   
  
"I can't do that! He probably doesn't even like confined places."  
  
James rolled his eyes. "Come on, Jessie! One night is not going to kill him!"  
  
She looked over at Lightning. "Is it alright with you, then?" When he didn't do anything, she took it as a 'yes.' James was right. It was cold, dark, late, and who-knew-what lurked out there. She quickly pulled out a pokeball and threw it at Lightning. He was quickly caught in it and it dropped to the floor. It shook only a few times before it laid still. Jessie only looked at it. James snatched it up and dragged her inside.  
  
It was late in the night when a branch scrapped against the glass of the window. The wind howled outside violently. Stars twinkled dimly. The moon's light was gloomy. James had been asleep for a long time now, but Jessie was wide-awake. She couldn't sleep, despite how hard she tried. She couldn't stop thinking that not only had she a family, but that that family was 'Jessiebelle.'   
  
She didn't know whether to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, or cry at her mother's betrayal. Instead, she thought of what her life would have been if she had grown up rich with both parents. Would she be the way she is now? Would she be cold and unforgiving like her older sister? She shuddered at the thought of her. She couldn't believe that 'Jessiebelle' was her sister! She looked over at the sleeping James and felt a wave of compassion fall over her. He was the one who had had to live with her during his youth, and it was he who was engaged to her. A sudden unwanted thought came to her then. 'What if it was I who would have been engaged to him?' She shook that thought away to where she kept all thoughts of him; in the back of her mind.   
  
She turned away from him, and her eyes spied the clock. When she saw the time, she debated on whether she should go to Jack or not. She had so many questions to ask, and he had, no doubt, some of his own as well. She sighed and sat up on the bed. This would probably be the only chance to get those questions answered.  
  
She didn't know how, but she soon found herself running out of the hotel and through the city. Her heart pounded as she raced passed building after building. Thoughts flew around uncontrolled throughout her mind. Was this all a hoax? Was Jack some sick man with some type of vengeance on her? Or was he telling her the truth?  
  
She ran blindly through the city. She had seen the hotel the day before, when they had been looking for Meowth. It was huge and obviously expensive to be at. Flowers of all kinds were either growing on the walls or buried beautifully below.   
  
She slowed to a walk when she entered the hotel and pulled out the card he had given her that held the information she needed to see him. Unsure, she walked up to the receptionist. "May I help you?" she asked in a high-pitched voice.  
  
Jessie swallowed her fear. "Yes. I'm looking for this man. He said he was a patron here." She handed her the card.  
  
"Ah yes, of course. He's expecting you." The woman behind the counter eyed Jessie when she handed it back to her. Jessie only glared at her and went up to the room where he had said to go.  
  
When she found herself in front of the door, she couldn't bring herself to knock. As hard as she tried, she couldn't lift her hand. Instead, she turned around and started to go back.  
  
That was, until the door opened for her. She froze when he called for her, and spun instantly around. He was smiling uncertainly at her.  
  
"You came. I'm glad. I have so many things to ask you!"  
  
She nodded and followed him in. The last thing she heard was the close of the door behind her.  
  
'Well, looks like there's no turning back now.'  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
To be continued...  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
  



	8. Part Eight

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Separation - Part Eight  
By: Marie Allen  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Author's Notes: Thank you to a couple of friends of mine for helping me write this chapter. I was going through a writer's block &_&.   
  
Also, this chapter deals with adult situations. Remember that this is part of the Johto League, so it's about three or so years since Ash began his training and "The Ultimate Test." This is also a different world/dimension than the one we live in, so I don't know their laws. They could have the same age requirements as the US, being twenty-one to drink, or that of Europe; where there isn't a drinking age, or only around fifteen. I don't remember. ^_^;; Furthermore, there is a bit of swearing. College kids...can't live with 'em, and can't live without 'em. ^_~ Also, when I was writing this, my brothers were watching different movies in two different rooms...soooo, you might recognize some of the quotes. ^_^ OK, so those are the warnings.  
  
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
Key:  
"..." Dialogue  
'...' Inner thoughts / stressed words  
*...* Inner voices  
... Hiccup  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Please, have a seat, Jessie." Jack motioned to a chair across the suite next to the bed where he sat. She shook her head.  
  
"I'll stand."  
  
"So, I take it you came here because you want some questions answered?" She nodded.   
  
"And have questions too." He nodded as well.  
  
Truth be told, she hadn't the foggiest on what to ask him. How had his life been before they had met? What were his dreams and goals? What were his hobbies? "What are you doing here?" she finally blurted out.  
  
He looked at her awkwardly. She hadn't seen him in years, and the only thing she asked was, 'what are you doing here?' "Business. Our family business, you see, is designing clothes. You know Madison and Madison?" She nodded faintly. "That's us! Or rather, Father and Uncle Charles."  
  
She was stunned. One of the largest clothing manufactures was her family's business? She didn't even know where to begin with questions. He helped her out by continuing.  
  
"There's a big conference meeting here this week. I just got out of one of them myself, not even an hour ago. You see, if these people agree to us, than our clothes will be sold all over the world! But, that's not what's important now, is it?" He cleared his throat. "The thing that is important is you, and what your life was before Mother took you away from us."  
  
She said nothing as she looked at him, and that was his cue to start. "You were five when you left. It was a very sudden, and Mother didn't even leave a note. She left without a trace, and with no clue as to where she was going. She only took you and hardly a dent of money, and very unexpected." He stood up and went to the small bar that stood next to the wall length mirror, his back to her. "We were all stunned, except for father. I don't think that he ever loved her, that it was only because of her inheritance that drew him to her." He shrugged. "I'm not sure. He never did try to look for her, using the excuse that the divorce had set things, and had ordered her away from Jessiebelle and I. I don't think that that was the reason." He turned around with two drinks in his hand and handed one to her. She took it, but did not drink from it.   
  
"You also had a playmate." He chuckled at the memory. "When you two got together, no one could break you apart. It was as if you had created and entered another world, blocking reality away. Mother and Father were always amazed at that, being that you two got along so well, and at such a young age. But, of course, it wasn't meant to be. He went through withdrawals when you disappeared and tried to become friends with Jessiebelle." He chuckled again at the memory. "That was, until she tried to own him. He was an independent kid, and was sickeningly easy to tease. Jessiebelle and I would gang up on him when he was alone, and constantly tease him about something. Then I went off to boarding school." He paused to take a sip from his drink professionally. Her mind had been numb through his story, and she desperately wanted him to continue. It seemed like hours before he started again. "I was fourteen and on one of my rare visits home when their engagement was announced. I can still remember the look of horror on his face, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the kid. A week later, he ran away, and he, too, disappeared."  
  
For the second time that day, Jessie felt faint. The information that Jack had bestowed on her swarmed through her mind like a pack of bees. More questions raced through her as answers flooded in, but one stuck out the most. One that would answer all her questions; "D...did he still know of me...before he ran away?"  
  
He swallowed another sip of his drink and nodded. "Of course. Jessiebelle reminded him twenty-four/seven of you, taunting him that he had to grow up and become a man." He snickered at Jessiebelle and her over-bearing attitude.  
  
Jessie dropped the glass in her hand. It landed on the floor with a sharp crash. Jack instantly had a towel in his hand, afraid that there might be damage to the carpet, and thus spending money.   
  
"Are you..." he looked up, only to discover that an open door was all that was left of Jessie.  
  
She had walked calmly walked out of the room and out of the hotel after taking in the news. She walked slowly through the dark, yet still noisy, city with her hands at her sides. She didn't know where she was going, but she did know that she wouldn't be returning to any hotels anytime soon, and that meant to the one where James continued to sleep. A lonely tear fell down her cheek as she thought of him, and how he had kept such a secret from her. She didn't know what to think, or how to act. She had trusted James as her best friend of ten years to be there when she needed him most, but he had broken that trust. She snickered, 'I guess it wouldn't be ten years, now would it. It would be...what...sixteen, seventeen years?' She didn't notice the tear that slid down her white face, and it was only when she felt the coldness of the brick wall behind her did she realize that she had stopped.   
  
She looked behind her and saw smoke and laughter coming out of an open door. Deciding that the only thing she could do was loose herself in a crowd of strangers, Jessie walked in.  
  
She hardly noticed the people who bumped into her as she made her way towards the bar. Many stools were taken by the time she had reached it, but there were still several free. She sat on one in the shadows, where the lights dimmed to give an eerie glow. Not realizing what she was doing, she ordered a drink, which came quickly. She wrapped her fingers around the glass, but did not take a drink. Instead, she gazed at the liquid with empty eyes and a head full of confusion, hurt, and anger.  
  
She had just sat down when a couple walked in, a couple that had everyone's attention, save for a certain redhead. They were drenched in wealth, showing off their fur coats and diamond rings. His name was Rico, and he wore a diamond; a large diamond. If anyone asked anyone, they would know who he was within moments. 'He's Rico, the man who owns Evelyn's Exquisite Espeon Studios!' or 'The richest man in the world!!' which, of course, was an exaggeration. The truth was, he did indeed own Evelyn's Exquisite Espeon Studios, which was a modeling agency and magazine corporation merged into one. His mother had been the owner before him, and her father before her. Espeon was the first Pokémon his grandfather had received as a child, courteously of his own father. Evelyn was the woman who he adored when he was a lad, and the woman who he had married at the ripe age of sixteen. He started in the modeling business twenty years later, and had been the owner until his only child and daughter took over when she was twenty-two. Rico inherited it when she had died forty years later.  
  
And it was that certain redhead that was the lucky one to receive his attention.  
  
He grinned slyly to himself as he eyed his new model. After all, he always got what he wanted.  
  
The woman he was with noticed the woman immediately as well, for it was she who did not look upon her person. And how dare she! She was Kelsey, the most beautiful, loved, and wanted woman in the modeling world! She glared daggers into Jessie's back and held tighter onto Rico's arm.   
  
They were seated a few tables away from the bar, a perfect spot so that Rico may keep an eye on his newest dame. Kelsey, too busy to notice at the time, did not see the way he looked upon Jessie, with a type of newly lit fire blazing in his dark eyes. That was, until she looked up from her menu.  
  
She knew that look. And she hated it. But most of all, she feared it. It was no secret that her modeling days were growing old. It would soon be time for her Rico to find another, and now she began to panic that he had already chosen. Slowly, she turned around to find this new woman, and then her anger doubled. It was that ignorant bitch who didn't look up to acknowledge her! Furious, she confronted her lover.  
  
"Rico! You wouldn't dare! Everyone looked up at us when we entered but 'her'!"   
  
Rico grinned at Kelsey, "Exactly. She sparks a certain...interest in me."  
  
"And I know exactly what that 'spark' is, Rico!" He grinned at her once again before standing up and taking a seat next to an unaware Jessie.  
  
Nevertheless, it didn't take a genius to know that someone had just sat next to you. Especially when your spine takes a sudden chill. She whipped her head around to face a continuing grinning Rico.  
  
"What do you want?" she demanded, annoyed.  
  
He clucked his tongue. "Don't we have manners?" Her eyes narrowed as she silently demanded. "I'm Rico."  
  
"And I'm Charlotte Johnson," she replied sarcastically.  
  
"Charlotte," he said, liking how it rolled off of his tongue. "Mmm. I like it."  
  
Tired of this game play, she prepared to get up, but was ceased when he put a hand on her arm. "Wait. I have a...proposition for you. A business proposition."  
  
She didn't know why she did it, but before she could stop herself, she was yet again sitting on her stool. "For only a minute. I have a lot on my mind."  
  
He grinned a grin that reminded Jessie of an Arbok. "I work for a business of both great wealth and power. I visit numerous people daily and see millions of people annually. I..."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get the point. What does this have to do with me?"  
  
He smiled again. "Straight to the point. I like that in a woman." He ordered a bottle of wine and poured himself a glass, all the while Jessie glared at him. She didn't know who this bozo was, or who he thought he was, but she knew that she didn't like his attitude. He seemed too slick to be normal. He handed her a drink, but she put it down immediately.  
  
"As I have said, I'm part of a respected and powerful business. A modeling business. What would you say if I wanted you to be part of this powerful business as one of our models?" He grinned cunningly at her.  
  
She was silent for a minute, before calmly saying, "I'd say that you're crazy, and that you're wasting my time." She made to get up again, but his hand seemed to find its way to her arm for the second time.   
  
"Look, let me put it this way." He began to slowly pull her towards the stool. "How about we have a Russian Roulette? You look like a woman of action, and one that doesn't like to go without a fight." Light flickered in his eyes. "If you win, you can go on with your life without worry. And if I win, you work for me. Deal?" (AN: A Russian Roulette is where two people drink from shot glasses, or whatever, until the other passes out because they are too drunk to go on. A dirty game, if you ask me. %_%)   
  
What kind of a wacko was this man? Who did he think he was, deciding her future like some kind of possession? She shrugged him off, "I don't think so." She turned her back to him, but stopped to a dead halt after hearing what he had just said. "What did you say?"  
  
"I said, 'Why? Are you afraid?'"  
  
She glared at him before sitting down yet again. "I am afraid of nothing. Pour the drink." A triumphant grin pasted on his face when he pulled out two shot glasses. Thus, the game of Russian Roulette began.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Outside, snow fell heavily, creating a thick layer of white over the streets of Violet City. Few were out-and-about, yet those few had encountered a lone figure. Those who had not yet met up with this figure, would eventually. Every time he came to a person, he asked if they had seen a woman with long red hair, this height or so, and had a fowl temper. Every answer was the same; "No," or "Sorry." He had started about a half-hour ago, had asked just about every person up at this late of an hour, and was about to give up. She was obviously in a place where she didn't want to be found. He supposed she would come back when she wanted to. Still, he had this feeling...  
  
"Oh, yeah. We've seen her, haven't we, Steve?" Josh laughed, slapping his friend on the back.  
  
Steve laughed, "Sure have, Josh! She's the one in there," he pointed to a large building with a small door, "with...uh...what was his name, Josh?" he questioned quizzically.  
  
"I don't remember, Steve. They seemed to be having a great time, though!" The two laughed knowingly. "Wonder what her prize was...?"  
  
Steve laughed as the two moved on, seemingly forgetting their questioner. "Her prize? You mean his prize, Josh." He elbowed his friend in the ribs, grinning.  
  
"Don't tell me you thought that 'he' was going to win, Steve?"  
  
"Yes! I think that he's going to win, Joshua!"  
  
"Oh please, Steven, you've got your marks mixed up! She will definitely..."  
  
He watched the two odd men waltz away down the street, confused. What did they mean by all of their nonsense? He shrugged, 'That's all it is, nonsense.' Nevertheless, to keep his nerves sound, he opened the door to the rickety-old building.   
  
Smoke was his first greeting; thick, suffocating, blinding smoke. He coughed heavily and covered his mouth with a clutched fist, and desperately tried to clear a clean path. People and eyes surrounded his senses next. People crowded around ever crook and corner in the now seemingly large building. Outside, it looked tall and thin, but inside, it seemed to grow in length.  
  
A peculiar larger group surrounded a table near the center of the room. Their cheers entwined into numerous voices and sounds, sounding more like a wrestling match instead of conversation.   
  
As he cautiously approached the crowd, his heartbeat seemed to block out those noises, leaving a bump-bump, bump-bump sound to echo in his ears. He pushed away the people who blocked his way from seeing the center their attention. His heart stopped in this throat and the words of the two odd men rang through his head. Then, the situation he was watching hit him. Jessie was lifting a shot glass hesitantly to her mouth, ready to drown it, looking ahead towards the man in front of her. Without thinking, he reached out a hand and grabbed the glass from her, just as the other man swallowed drink. Numerous 'ahs' and 'come ons!' protested against him as he slammed the glass down on the small table.   
  
Jessie blinked at her empty hand, wondering where the glass went. Realizing that it was now on the table, she looked there. Not only had it mysteriously transported itself from her hand to the table, but there was also a hand attached to it! She looked up the arm and saw a familiar face, but couldn't determine exactly 'who' it was.  
  
"What are you doing?" he hissed at her, gripping her arm and forcing her up.   
  
She grinned lazily when she remembered. "Tee hee, hee, hee, hee!" she giggled, and picked up the glass he had just put on the table. "I'm having a," she hiccuped, "contest! See! If," she hiccuped again and pointed to her bulging in her jacket, "I win, I...I...hmm...I don't remember what I get." She turned to Rico next to her and grinned, "What do I get?"   
  
He took the glass from her once again and put it on the table. "I think that that's enough for you, and we should go home now."  
  
She pouted, "But I dun't...dun't wanna go back. There's nutin' to do there."  
  
"Of course there is, like..." he was cut off when he noticed the man she had just spoken to glaring at him. "Who are you?"  
  
He seemed much more sober than Jessie, but he was obviously the one who she had been dueling with. "I am Rico. Last names are not important, because people only fear 'Rico.' I am the owner of Evelyn's Exquisite Espeon Studios. And the question is, who are you?"   
  
James snuffed him. This 'Rico' was also obviously in love with himself, which only reminded him of Giovanni. She shuddered at the mention of the Boss's name. "Am I supposed to impressed?" He helped Jessie out of her chair who stood on two wobbly legs.  
  
Rico was furious! How dare this loner ruin his well half-hour thought out plan! He certainly wasn't about to lose his model now! He had lost twenty minutes just trying to convince her to have the drugged drink, and this imbecile was costing him even more much-needed time!  
  
Jessie, who at that time had fallen in her chair, barely missed the blow that connected with James's jaw. The hit was so unexpected, he lost his footing and fell onto the crowd behind him. Outraged, James jumped back to his feet. "What the hell was that for?"  
  
Rico smirked at James. He wasn't anything but a pansy! "Protecting my investment."   
  
James twitched. "Investment?" Investment? Jessie was an 'investment?' His eyes grew red with anger. Without thinking, James snickered. "Oh, investment. I see." He turned to the closest person to him. "He's protecting his investment." Before the woman could react to James, he flew a punch of his own to Rico. Rico, who would never have seen it coming, gasped along with all spectators that were now silent. He fell back onto the crowd while blood began to pour from his nose and the corner of his mouth.   
  
Jessie pointed and laughed. Never in her life had she seen something so funny! Her giggles erupted into fits of bellows and hoots. She wondered what it would be like if someone else fell...  
  
She started for some random shocked person, but was stopped by James who began to pull her out from the crowd and force her out of the door.  
  
Rico pushed aside the men who helped him up and watched 'Charlotte' and James leave the building. Whoever that was, he was going to pay for hitting him. Nobody insulted Rico in front of his people and lives. He smiled evilly and turned his back to the front door and swiftly made his way towards the back. Nobody!  
  
After helping her into her jacket, he put an arm around her back and urged her through the snow. After they had passed a couple of corners he calmed himself and started to talk and ease her protests by answering her comment on boredom. "Of course there's plenty to do at the hotel. There's television and the hotel supplied a deck of cards," he suggested.  
  
"I don't know any games and you'll take the remote."  
  
He laughed at the remark. "I..."  
  
"Eeeeeee!" she exclaimed suddenly and jumping back. From her outburst, James jumped as well, just not in the same direction as her. Thus, she fell onto the snow. He looked down in shock when she burst into fits of giggles and hiccups. "How...fun!" she grinned up at him.  
  
Sighing, he helped her to her feet. She continued to giggle as she cuddled up next to him. With wide eyes, she stuck out her bottom lip, giving him a look-at-me-I'm-pitiful-look. "I'm cold."  
  
He rolled his eyes towards the dark sky, wondering what she had been thinking. "We'll be there shortly, Jessie. You're just going to have to wait."  
  
"But...that's not fair!" she wailed, suddenly sounding like a spoiled child.  
  
"You go sneaking out in the middle of the night, forcing me to get out of bed to look for you, only to find you drunk and whinny. When you get into a worse situation than that, than you can come back to me and complain to me about fairness."  
  
She was silent for a minute, than sniffed. "You're mean."  
  
He began to grumble under his breath.   
  
'Finally,' he thought as he ushered her through their door. For the whole way, she had either complained about the snow and that it was cold, or laughed to hysteria when she stumbled.  
  
She collapsed on the bed and planted her hands behind her while leaning back against them. She gave a little bounce and giggled. "It's bouncy!" James looked at her wearily. He was exhausted! How could she not, especially after drinking?   
  
His spine straightened and he stood straight as he looked down at Jessie in anger. "Tell me what you were doing back there?" he demanded silently.  
  
She continued to grin but stopped bouncing and looked innocently up at him. "Back where? Doing what?"  
  
"Oh, come off it Jessie! You know exactly what I'm talking about!"  
  
She continued to look up at him in confusion. Then it hit her. "Oh! The bar!" she laughed. "Well...hmm..." she shrugged. "I don't remember," she replied as if it were some common thing.   
  
"You don't remember?" She shook her head negatively with a smile. "You're telling me that you don't remember why you just wasted an hour of your life away?"  
  
Again, she shrugged. "I guess so." She bounced again and laughed childishly.  
  
He rolled his eyes to the ceiling and turned his back on her to dump the occupants in his pockets. Loose change and thick bills now loitered the tabletop. He was just about to take off his socks when he heard a high pitched squeal. He flipped around and saw Jessie sitting in front of a now dying fire.  
  
She had somehow gotten off the bed without falling, found her Team Rocket jacket and matches, and started it aflame on the hotel floor. *The floor!* it yelled at him. Hurriedly, he grabbed the small bucket of old and semi-melted ice and dumped it on top of the flames. Panting from the excitement, James looked wearily over at Jessie who was wearing a look of horror and sadness. "Just what do you think you were doing?"  
  
With a wobbly bottom lip, she said, "I was c...cold."  
  
"Then you put 'on' the jacket, not burn it." He looked down at the burnt spot. Perhaps if they did a little re-arranging, they could cover it? He looked back at Jessie and sighed. It was too late, 'Or too early?', to do anything about her actions now. Tomorrow was another day, and she would, hopefully, be back to her senses. "Jessie, I think that you should get some rest." He helped her back onto the bed.  
  
"But I'm not tired."   
  
"Of course you are. See? Your eyes are heavy." She crossed her eyes as if that would help her look at them.   
  
"Hmm. They seem pretty light to me."  
  
James sighed. He lifted the covers over her and up to her chin. He sat on the edge of the bed and took off his socks and shirt after reaching over and turning the lights off. Quickly, before anything else disastrous happened, he laid next to her.  
  
Nevertheless, once his back touched the bed, Jessie began to stir. He groaned. "What's wrong now?"  
  
"I'm not comfortable. And the pillow is too hard."  
  
"Of course." He started to pull the pillow from behind him, but the feeling of Jessie's weight on him stopped him.  
  
"There. I'm comfortable now," she said with a contended sigh. James, too shocked and unsure of what to do, could only put his arm around her. She giggled and cuddled closer to him, only to have James hold her closer. As he laid there, with Jessie at his side, he smiled in the dark. 'I can get used to this.' He smiled at Jessie and leaned his head against hers and slept peacefully through the night.  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
To be continued...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Author's Notes: I don't know if you guys caught this or not, but in Part Five, it was said that Jack was only two years older than James. I don't know what I was thinking, but since I can't change it now, I'm just saying it here; he's not two years older, but five. It also makes a lot more sense. I don't see too many five-year-olds teasing a three-year-old, but you would see an eight-year-old doing that. ^_^ Phew... ~_~  



	9. Part Ten

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Separation - Part Ten  
By: Marie Allen  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers apply.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Key:  
"..." Dialogue  
'...' Inner thoughts  
*...* Conscience   
  
Breathed enticingly. Senses into oblivion. "Do you know what it's like to loose a part of you? Do you know what it's like to have half of you ripped out? Do you know what it's liked to be broken, yet still alive? Do you? Do you? ::snicker:: I didn't think so. You don't know what it's like to loose someone who meant the world to you, find them again, only to loose them after finally 'knowing' them. You don't know how if feels to have your heart ripped from you, stabbed, burned, tossed about, and then thrown back at you like some worthless garbage. You haven't been forced to watch the only person you ever cared about suffer a long agonizing death, when the only thing you wanted to do was reach out and take away their pain. You didn't have to hold them while they cried because they found out too late, or tell them that everything was going to be all right when you knew that that was a lie. You didn't have to watch all the memories you shared with them replay before you eyes while you yearned to go back in time to savor every precious moment you shared with them, because you took it for granted that they would always be there for you and to buy you clothes or to take you out to dinner or take you to see the latest movie. You didn't realize that the days were slipping away like water and that you were some type of sewage swallowing it up. You weren't not there to hold their hand when they shuddered their last breath of life, and you weren't not the last thing they saw when the left me all alone."  
  



	10. Part Eleven

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Separation - Part Eleven  
  
By: Marie Allen  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers apply.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Oi, minna! Wow...it's been such a long time since I've updated this story, but hey! Here's the next chapter! For all of those you have previously read it from the year + ago, and are still here, I thank you so much! I'm sure that you have forgotten much of this ((you wouldn't be the only one... ^_^;;)) so...thanks! ^_^ For new readers, thank you too! I hope you like it! ^_^  
  
Key:  
  
"..." Dialogue  
  
'...' Inner thoughts  
  
*...* Conscience  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
"Jessie, I didn't...I mean I..." James stuttered.  
  
"You what, James?" He didn't know what to say, or do, for that matter. He desperately wanted to, well, something. But it was the 'something' that kept him from doing anything. She snorted when he didn't say anything. "Do you deny it?"  
  
He slumped his shoulders in defeat. Out was his secret, and in was the trouble. Jessie looked upon him with hope that he would deny it and that he would tell her that Jack was a phony and not of what he spoke. That he was some crazy man who sought out to ruin peoples lives.  
  
When he didn't answer, she straightened her back. Sticking her chin up and clenching her fists at her sides, tears began to bite at the back of her eyes. Her voice was low and menacing, giving James a chill that ran down his back. "So it's true then. Everything has been a lie... My whole life was a damn lie." She looked down slightly; her perfectly shaped eyebrows frowning in pain and wrinkled her forehead. When she looked up her eyes spoke more than a thousand words. "Why, James? Why didn't you ever tell me...?" Her voice trembled as much as her bottom lip. Her eyes were glassy and the beginnings of puffy. Her eyebrows still frowned at him and her face seemed to have always been fallen.  
  
He was silent as he looked at her. He didn't know the answer himself. But even in his thoughts that sounded ridiculous. He had no right to keep the secret from her. He knew that she had always been unconsciously looking for the truth of her unknown past, and he selfishly kept it to himself. After a long moment he finally answered meekly in a mumble. "I thought I was trying to protect you..."  
  
She looked at him as if another head had sprouted from his shoulders. "Well you thought wrong, didn't you?" Tears finally began to slip passed their barrier unknowingly to her as she once again began to speak, breathing enticingly.  
  
She started out slowly, in her still low voice. "Do you know what it's like to loose a part of you? Do you know what it's like to have half of you ripped out? Do you know what it's liked to be broken, yet still alive? Do you?" She snickered. "I didn't think so. You don't know what it's like to loose someone who meant the world to you, find them again, only to loose them after finally 'knowing' them. You don't know how if feels to have your heart ripped from you, stabbed, burned, tossed about, and then thrown back at you like some worthless garbage." Her voice cracked momentarily and she desperately tried to swallow the large knot that had begun to grow earlier. "You haven't been forced to watch the only person you ever cared about suffer a long agonizing death, when the only thing you wanted to do was reach out and take away their pain. You didn't have to hold them while they cried because they found out too late, or tell them that everything was going to be all right when you knew that that was a lie. You didn't have to watch all the memories you shared with them replay before you eyes while you yearned to go back in time to savor every precious moment you shared with them."  
  
The tears fell freely from her swollen eyes with no control. The pain was so great she stopped for a moment to restrict the contractions within. "Because you took it for granted that they would always be there for you and to buy you clothes or to take you out to dinner or take you to see the latest movie. You didn't realize that the days were slipping away in your hands like water and that you were some type of sewage swallowing it up. You weren't not there to hold their hand when they shuddered their last breath of life, and you weren't not the last thing they saw when the left me all alone..." She forced the last part as a sob wracked through her. Spinning on her heel, she ran out the hotel room and didn't look back. She doubted she ever would.  
  
He reached out for her when she ran off, but his hand only clasped onto air. His heart ran with her, but his feet didn't even twitch. With each word that she spoke, it was a slap to his face. When she was gone, he could only stare through the still open door. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have done this to her? To them? He realized now that he was no better than anyone who had ever hurt her...  
  
He sat on the edge of the bed, burying his face in his hands. And now he had lost her. He had lost her respect and any chance of forgiveness. Hell, if he were her, he wouldn't forgive himself either. *Great going buddy. Now you'll never get her.*  
  
"Never..." he repeated aloud. Then his tears came.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
To be continued...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 


End file.
